Wherever I Go
by Frosted Dreams 1234
Summary: Can you imagine what it would be like to have your world torn away from you? To wake up in a strange new world, and have to learn everything all over again? For Emily Hayes, this is exactly what has happened to her. This is her story, of how she found her place in a world away from her own. McCoy/OC
1. Chapter 1

**EDIT: I apologize in advance for any changes or mistakes that were made as of 12/17/17. I was running yet further edits and didn't realize I'd deleted some of my original content before posting this D: Good news is, it was only author's notes I deleted, and not story content.**

* * *

 **Chapter One**

"As you can plainly see, the effects of altering a universe or running amuck about them could have severe side effects on ours. Theories have been thrown out by several scientists that alternate universes exist. Some have even suggested that we may one day find ourselves waking up in one of them…"

It took everything Emily Hayes had not to groan out loud in annoyance as the professor continued rambling on and on. She had heard this song and dance far too many times to find the topic interesting. The professor usually went on long tirades revolving around 'alternate universes' and whether it was possible for them to exist. With technology getting better and better each passing year, the possibilities were endless. Scientists were beginning to discover gaps that had gone missing for years.

His idea, however, was that alternate universes could occur in another world outside their own. It would have been a world where the events that happened in their world would play out completely different. After watching movies and television shows revolving around such theories, she wasn't in any hurry to see whether they were true. Besides, the idea of something like that actually being real left her mind spinning.

The only reason she took this class in the first place was because her mother was a scientist who was currently studying a boring subject known as 'String Theory'. Emily only knew bits and pieces of it herself, but even that wasn't enough to quell the idea that this wasn't what she wanted as her future career. Both of her parents wanted her to get an idea as to what their careers were like. Her father was a prominent doctor in Manhattan, New York. And while there was a time when she wanted to follow in his footsteps, she'd left that to her sister.

Ironically enough, her younger sister was going to a prominent university in Colorado to earn her PHD. She had always been seen as the more intelligent sister in the family, whereas Emily was just the bad seed. She tried ignoring the fact that her parents wanted something more out of her. Hell, she even went out of her way to prove to them that they were wrong. In the end, she finally decided that it wasn't worth trying to impress them.

Truthfully, she wasn't even sure what she wanted for her college degree. She had been on the fence about taking several classes at a time to see which field she fit in best. But each field opened up new possibilities. An endless window of opportunities were presented before her when she began taking classes at the university. It seemed like each time she finally found something that peeked her interest, her parents would rebuke her for making such a poor choice.

She held back a sigh of frustration at the thought. Nothing she ever did would satisfy them. Emily had long-since given up the idea of actually doing something worthwhile. That was what had led to her resolve that she was better off enjoying the small freedom she had at college.

She would often go behind her parents' back just to piss them off. Most of that involved drinking, sleeping with random men, and going off to concerts with her roommate, Julia Thompson. The biggest trip they ever did was Creation Fest, Northeast. That was only a year ago, and one of the best decisions either of them made. Heck, they were lucky enough to meet some of the most down to Earth people at Creation Fest. That was where she got to meet the lead singer to Rend Collective face-to-face. But, did her parents ever approve of their ventures? Of course not. All they would ever do was frown upon them.

"Miss Hayes…" She just wished there was some way of earning their approval… "Miss Hayes!" Her eyes widened when the professor leaned over her after slamming his hands on her desk, eyes narrowed with annoyance as her classmates stifled their laughter. "I expect all of my students to pay attention during lectures, do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir," she replied, restraining herself from rolling her eyes and getting herself into further trouble.

It wouldn't have been the first time she was caught daydreaming in class. Especially in this class. She could probably write a book on how many times she'd accidentally fallen asleep in this class. It didn't help that this professor in particular spoke in such a monotone voice, that he made emotionless robots look like they had a sense of humor. She tried putting on her best 'interested' face whenever she was sitting in his lecture hall. Because he was good friends with her mother, she knew she would never hear the end of it that she had been sleeping during his lecture.

"Good. Now, tonight, I want everyone to write a thesis on the importance of our world, and the importance of why interfering with another world could end in disaster," he went on. "Six pages long, double-spaced. No exceptions."

The whole class groaned in annoyance at that. Professor Kobbs was infamous for giving out the most difficult assignments. The worst part was knowing that the due date wasn't subject to change. She knew she could get it finished within the time-period, but that didn't mean it would live up to his expectations. With that thought in mind, Emily grabbed her backpack and made a break for it before he could make things anymore awkward.

She didn't have many friends outside of class. Julia was the only exception to that rule, and their relationship had always been strained from the start. She'd often go drinking during the weekends, much to Julia's annoyance and her chagrins. Then, there was the walk of shame when she would return on either a Sunday morning or a Saturday morning. It wasn't until Julia dragged her to a Matthew West concert that they finally started seeing eye-to-eye.

One of the many major differences between them was the fact that Julia happened to be a huge fan of Star Trek. Julia would often go into rants about the whole Star Trek series, from the original to the reboot series. For Emily, it usually fell on deaf ears. Emily had always been more of a fan of the Marvel movies, or anything that peeked her interest, which was usually anything that had a good plot to it. Students around the university would often find them in the cafeteria arguing over which movies were better.

"Hey, Em!" Julia was sitting on a wheelie chair the moment she arrived in their dorm.

Emily almost rolled her eyes at the mess scattered across Julia's side of the room. That was one of the many arguments they would get into – Emily preferred keeping her side of the room nice and tidy while Julia's was covered in art supplies. Being an art major made keeping things clean a bit difficult, on Julia's part. She would always complain about the fact that Emily disorganized her work while trying to keep her side of the room clean. To top things off, Julia would usually spend Saturday mornings practicing her violin while Emily was trying to either sleep in or study.

To her sleeping in was like a gift in itself. With her parents' busy schedules and an active study-schedule, it was almost impossible to do so.

Julia was one of those people who would never let it get to her, though. If anything, she took whatever comments or complaints Emily had in stride. And of course, that would often lead to further arguments between them.

"So, guess who's gonna be at the state fair this weekend?"

"It's hard to guess," Emily replied with a shrug. "You've got so many favorite artists."

And of course, Julia had gotten her into most of the artists that she was a fan of. Funny how that worked.

Since Julia's parents were the ones who had treated them to those concerts, she supposed it only made sense. Julia's parents were almost as musically gifted as she was. Though Emily suspected that Julia would go further than performing at a church venue if she continued down her studies.

"Okay, so I know this is last minute, but I got tickets to see Matthew West," Julia explained, her grin widening as Emily stared at her in surprise. "He's doing a meet and greet Saturday night at the University!"

"Seriously?" Emily looked at her roommate in disbelief.

While it wasn't surprising to hear that an artist was doing a meet and greet, or holding a concert, she was surprised to hear that Matthew West would be there. It had been exactly three years since he was last there. That was the first time her life had changed for the better.

Matthew West was one of her favorite artists for that reason. He had a voice that was sweet as honey, and his lyrics spoke out to her in a way that no other artist could. What amazed her the most though, was how his music was mostly written based off of what fans sent him through letters, revolving around their life-story.

"That's just awesome, but…" She frowned and looked down at the floor as she suddenly recalled something. "I can't go. My mom's visiting for the weekend, and has some big convention she wants me to attend."

And she did want to go. More than anything. Just about anything was better than spending time with her ever-wonderful mother, who would likely lecture her on the merits of how much time she was spending on class work. All her parents ever seemed to do was criticize her work, rather than support and encourage her like any normal parent would. By now, she had gotten used to their crude behavior towards her. But Julia never seemed to understand why she allowed them to treat her that way. They were the only family she had left. And while they certainly weren't the best parents in the world, she still cared about them.

Julia only rolled her eyes at that.

"Em, you've got to learn to start sticking up for yourself," she muttered. "Your parents aren't going to be hanging over your shoulder forever, you know."

"I know," Emily sighed with a shake of her head. Julia had no idea just how hard it was to _deny_ her parents' wishes. She'd grown up with the belief that they were always right, and that every choice they made was for her own good. "Just… Go on without me. I've got a thesis to write, and tests to study for."

"Fine, whatever." Julia's shoulders sagged in defeat as she threw herself onto her bed. "Just promise me you won't let your parents control you for the rest of your life?"

Emily flinched at that, knowing full well there wasn't any choice in the matter. Julia was lucky – her parents always supported whatever choice she made, no matter the consequences. And, when she made a choice that hurt her, they were always there to provide the comfort she needed.

 _Guess that's what happens when your parents aren't doctors or scientists_ , she thought bitterly.

"Sure," she replied without meeting her gaze, knowing that it was nothing more than an empty promise.

…

Emily breathed out a sigh as she studied the computer screen in front of her. The thesis she wrote was crap. Utter crap, compared to what the professor was expecting. But, it wasn't like she had other options. Theories about alternate universes just sounded so unrealistic that she found no interest whatsoever. Which was half of the problem right there. Emily wasn't planning on complaining any time soon – she knew that wouldn't get her anywhere.

Letting out another sigh, and glancing over her shoulder to see that Julia was fast asleep, she decided that she needed some kind of hot beverage. Coffee seemed like a good idea, at the moment. But, she wasn't going to the cafeteria. College coffee was terrible, just as she had expected the first year. There was a little cafe just outside the campus that served some of the best tea and coffee, and it was the major hub for most students.

Once she'd grabbed her jacket and saved the document before shutting the computer down, she quietly slipped away.

She probably should have known better than to go out this late at night. Campus security would question why she was out in her pajamas at midnight. She was more of a night owl, though. Julia had often complained about her staying up late at night, so she would sometimes sneak out of the dorm and spend the evening in the lounge, studying.

Emily kept glancing over her shoulder once she had made it past the campus grounds. It was unusually cold out that night, with the stars shimmering in the sky, and a claw-mark of a moon hovering just above her.

She wasn't sure what had made her so nervous that night. Maybe, it was the fact that she shouldn't have gone out in the first place. But, something had made her stop in her tracks as she reached the corner sidewalk leading to the cafe. She froze on the spot, her eyes widening in alarm as she saw a cloaked figure standing under a street light. The moment she had seen that figure was when she realized something was seriously wrong. She couldn't move, as if something had turned her legs to stone. The figure still stood there for what felt like hours, until suddenly, black spots began to appear at the edge of her vision.

Biting back a cry of shock as she collapsed on the ground, the last thing she saw was the figure looming over her, and reaching out with a bony hand, before she blacked out.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Sorry this chapter is so much shorter... other chapters won't be this way, I promise. And thank you everyone for the positive feedback, I really do appreciate it :) I'll be adding a description of Emily on my profile later on, so readers can get a better idea as to what she looks like. Please let me know what you thought of this chapter... oh, and the lyrics at the beginning come from the song, 'Mountain, Part 1', by NEEDTOBREATHE**

Chapter Two

" _I've been burying a mountain, I've been running uphill I've been pushing up a big wave, That I'm carrying still I can see over the mountain, And I know that it's real There's a river made of roses, Just up over this hill…_ "

* * *

Darkness shrouded her vision for what felt like an eternity. It was a horrifying moment to wake up and feel as if she was floating in darkness. The cold expanse of air seemed to wrap around her like a blanket. For a moment, she thought that this might be what death felt like. If this was death, then the figure she had seen was the Grim Reaper. It didn't take long for her to realize that she was wrong once again.

In her disorientation, she could have sworn that the creatures looked like something out of a science fiction scene. Emily's mind was still spinning as she tried to recall _how_ she ended up here in the first place. Part of her had hoped that this was nothing more than another horrible nightmare. Though, another part of her knew that it was anything _but_ a nightmare. The thought left her mind churning with anxiety when she realized that this place was _real_. The pain she felt was real, and the dull throbbing in the back of her head felt too real for it to not be a dream.

Voices sounded in the distance. Strange, growling-like voices that sent shivers of fear through her as she slowly opened her eyes after she tried shaking off the dizzying feeling that swept through her. Their voices echoed against the walls that surrounded her in a tone that sounded more feral than human. The moment she regathered her thoughts was when she suddenly wished she _had_ died.

A groan escaped from her lungs as she found herself in a dimly lit dungeon. She was strapped to some kind of table, her wrists and ankles bound in cuffs. Her heart was beating rapidly as she saw more of the cloaked figures standing around her. What terrified her the most was the shadowy mist that seemed to follow them as they started to move. As she tried to struggle against the restraints that held her against the table, the cuffs dug painfully into her wrists. The ominous vibe these creatures gave off hadn't helped matters, and somehow, she knew they couldn't be up to any good after observing them for a few seconds.

"Subject shows signs of disorientation," one of the figures spoke in a harsh voice that reminded her of nails on a chalkboard.

The sound of its voice sent shivers through her. What bothered her more than anything was the way they were acting as if she was some kind of science experiment. She'd seen enough horror movies in her lifetime to know that anything could go wrong, in that instant. The worst part was, it felt as if she was _living_ in a horror movie.

She hated horror movies. After being dragged to a few thanks to some of the friends she had from high school, she made a mental note to never visit any haunted looking buildings again. While she firmly believed in ghosts and the afterlife, that didn't mean she was foolish enough to go looking for such evidence.

"Subject must be alert and aware of it's surroundings," another snapped. "The procedure will not be successful."

"W-Who are you?" she asked fearfully as the figure who spoke first approached her. She hated how hoarse her voice sounded. Her throat felt dry when she touched the roof of her mouth with her tongue, hating the way those creatures were inspecting her like she was their prey. "Where the hell am I?"

"We are ancient beings, _human_. Beings who have found an interest in your world," the figure sneered. Emily flinched at the mention of her being human. It sounded more like an insult than a compliment. "As for why you are here… well, I am certain you will find out sooner or later."

"Do not taunt it. T'Mhal wants the subject alive."

 _You can tell T'Mhal to fuck off_ , she desperately wanted to shout. Something kept her from doing so. Whether it was the fear of what these bastards would do to her if she retaliated against them or something worse, she wasn't sure. The only thing she did know was that nothing good would come out of whatever they had in store for her.

The implication that they saw her as nothing more than subject was what really irritated her. These bastards clearly thought they were above everyone else. To make matters worse, she had no doubt that they had run experiments on her before she woke up. It explained the dull pain in the back of her head, and the pins and needles feeling that coursed through her body.

The worst part was knowing that she wasn't the first one they had kidnapped. Others before her had died from whatever torture they were put through. That alone made her realize that this could very well be the last place she saw before she died. The cloaked figures were beginning to whisper again, and Emily began struggling against her restraints once they weren't paying attention.

That didn't do her much good. Once again, she began struggling against the restraints that bound her to the exam table. Her teeth ground together in pain as the metal left a deep cut, digging painfully into her skin. Unfortunately, her struggle was in vein as the figure returned to her side, reaching out with a bony hand. She bit back a scream of terror from the sudden contact as they touched her shoulder.

"Let the procedure begin."

Time felt as though it had slowed down when pain suddenly erupted throughout her body. That was when she started crying out. It felt as though a thousand needles were piercing her body, the fire growing worse with every minute that passed. Tears began rolling down her cheeks. It wasn't long before the pain felt as if her body was being torn apart and put back together.

It was too much for her. Her vision began to blur as the pain continued to intensify. The only thing she could do was hope that whatever these creatures were doing, it would end soon.

…

Nurse Hallie let out a sigh as she studied the patient curiously. Just a few weeks ago, the woman was brought in from a passing pedestrian outside the hospital in Riverside, Iowa. He'd said that he didn't know where she came from, or how she ended up with these severe injuries. Nothing could have prepared the medical staff for the injuries she sustained. With several deep cuts and lashes that looked as if someone had used surgical knives and sewed her back together, the woman looked like she was fresh out of a science experiment.

The only thing Hallie did know was, this patient had no previous records. Nothing to match her face or identifications of any sorts. The fact that she was able to survive such trauma alone had surprised the nurse. She could see that the woman was a fighter, someone who had probably faced more than her fair share of fights before.

If she was any kind of professional nurse, she would have filed a report on the woman and left it to the authorities. But, something had stopped her from doing so. The woman was already recovering from her injuries, and while she hadn't woken up yet, she could see that whatever happened would likely effect her for weeks to come. The last thing she needed was to be questioned by the police. There was no telling what sort of trauma she had experienced.

"What happened to you?" she asked while typing notes into her data PADD.

They'd spent weeks running scans to make sure she hadn't suffered from broken limbs or anything worse. The woman was lucky to have only received the injuries she had. No one knew how long she had been out on that field while left unnoticed by anyone passing by.

She was one of the most experienced nurses here, but even this was beyond her understanding. Whoever she was, she had an interesting story to share. And the Federation would more than likely want to hear it out.

…

A strange, rhythmic hum sounded in the background, along with voices whispering to one another, slowly bringing her back to reality.

Her eyes struggled to open. The room she was in was obnoxiously bright. But, as her eyes adjusted to the light, her senses came back at full force. Despite the disorientation that left her feeling dizzy, she was able to make out the dimly lit white walls of a hospital. She recognized the signs of a hospital anywhere after visiting so many thanks to her mother and father.

Pain throbbed all around her. She didn't remember what had caused the pain, but she did remember that she was supposed to be back in her dorm. Somehow, she had woken up in some kind of medical facility. At least, that was what she perceived.

A heart monitor was attached to her arm, along with what looked like IV fluid bags. How she ended up here was beyond her reasoning. She frowned in confusion as the door to her room opened, and a woman dressed in a white lab-suit entered.

For a moment, a familiar spark of panic surged through her when faint memories of what had happened prior to waking up. Everything was still a blur, but she could still picture the creatures that had treated her like some kind of experiment. And the woman dressed in a lab-suit hadn't helped deter such memories. She looked at the woman anxiously as fear wormed its way into her chest.

"You're awake, at last!" the woman gasped in surprise. She stared at the woman for a few seconds. "I'm sorry, I'm Nurse Hallie," she introduced herself before closing the door behind her. "You were brought to this facility almost three weeks ago, and you haven't woken up since then."

Her eyes widened in shock, and the heart monitor suddenly started beeping more frequently. Nurse Hallie looked at the heart monitor in alarm before taking a deep breath. Her vitals had suddenly jumped at an alarmingly fast rate, telling her that the woman was suffering from whatever trauma she went through earlier.

"It's okay," she reassured her in a gentle voice. "We don't have any intentions of hurting you."

"W-Where am I?" the woman asked, her voice hoarse from lack of use.

Though, the rawness in her throat told her that it had been more from screaming than a lack of use. And that was just another reminder that something horrifying had happened to her.

"You're in a hospital in Riverside, Iowa," Nurse Hallie replied, frowning as she saw the woman looked slightly disoriented and clearly panicked. "Why don't you get some rest? I can explain more to you once you feel up to it."

"Wait, what about my mother? She was supposed to stop by the University three weeks ago!"

The woman's eyes went wide, and Nurse Hallie let out a sigh as she did start to show signs of falling into shock. Before she could say anything else, Nurse Hallie reached for a sedative, waiting until the woman had stopped struggling to administrate it.

As a fully trained nurse, the last thing she needed or wanted at the moment was the woman sustaining injuries on herself. It was best to give her time to adjust and recover fully from whatever ordeal she'd woken up from. That in itself would make for an interesting story, one Hallie knew would likely be passed on to the Federation once word slipped out.

"I'm sorry," she apologized as the woman blacked out once more from the sedative.

This woman was a fighter, as far as Nurse Hallie could see. The fact that she had recovered from such horrid injuries told her that. She glanced at the data PADD on the shelf. Once the woman had recovered, she could make a fine Starfleet Officer, if she was given the proper training. She decided to send Captain Christopher Pike a message, in the hopes he could stop by in his spare time and talk with the woman. Maybe, he could convince her to enlist once she'd recovered.

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 **AN: Ran a few edits here and there, hopefully to help make the story run more smoothly...**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

The world was a wild blur around her. Her senses felt as if they were fading in and out of reality. Everything sounded as if it was louder than normal, with voices shouting around her, to a strange, rhythmic beeping sound of what reminded her of a heart monitor. A dull throbbing in the back of her head reminded her of a horrible hangover, something she was all-too-familiar with. The first time she suffered from a hangover, which had been nearly ten years ago, had been one of her worst experiences ever. By now, she had gotten used to the dull headaches that would follow, along with waking up in random places if the situation demanded it.

As her eyes finally started to adjust to the harshly lit room, she noticed that something was off. The heart monitor was about the only normal thing that appeared relatively normal. Everything else seemed abnormally out of place as she tried getting a better view of her surroundings. The room she was in had sterile white walls surrounding her, with a counter full of odd looking equipment that looked too futuristic to be real. She looked around frantically, her eyes wild with panic when she realized she was in a hospital of some sort. Worst still was the fact that she hadn't been alone, either.

A woman was sitting not far away, tapping away on what looked like a knockoff version of an iPad. She seemed oblivious to the fact that Emily had woken up, her eyes so focused on the monitor that she barely had time to look up. That was until Emily tried sitting up, wincing from the sudden pain jolting through her. She bit back a groan and rubbed the back of her neck warily. Whatever had happened to her made it feel as if she'd been run over by a truck at full speed. Her whole body ached this time as reality finally came crashing down on her.

The woman's eyes widened in surprise when she finally realized Emily was awake. She paused for a moment, mouth opening slightly before she stood up and looked at Emily in alarm. She didn't miss the terror in Emily's eyes when she tried taking in her surroundings. The woman set aside the device she had been holding as she tried taking in Emily's expression. While she tried to hide the emotions running wild, Emily knew it was only a matter of time before the stranger figured out that something was wrong.

"W-Where am I?" she repeated, her voice surprisingly hoarse.

Her throat hurt, as if she hadn't spoken in days, or she had been screaming nonstop for days. Memories of what had happened were still vague. Her mind tried picking through what had led to waking up in the hospital room. The problem was, she couldn't remember much of anything after leaving her dorm room. And that was enough for Emily to shiver with unease. She could only imagine what Julia or her mother were thinking after not returning to the dorm. While her mother wouldn't worry too much – they never had a decent relationship to begin with – Julia would worry about what had happened to her.

"Ma'am, I'm going to ask you to lay down, please," the woman spoke softly, her voice doing little to reassure the fear that was threatening to overwhelm Emily. "You're at the hospital in Riverside, Iowa. A passing citizen found you in one of the fields and brought you here."

Emily blinked at that. No, she was supposed to be at the university back in New York. She should be back to see her mother and find out what she was going to do in the near future. The least she could do was face the aftermath of writing that horrible paper Professor Kobbs was so determined she finish. However, her mind seemed to focus on something a bit more eye-catching.

The woman hadn't been holding an iPad. While it looked like any normal Apple product, Emily realized with a start that it was anything _but_ an iPad. That was when the real panic began. The woman was in for a nasty surprise when she cried out in shock upon seeing the date on the device. The year was set at 2255. 2255. Emily's eyes blinked rapidly at that, as if seeing the date was setting off some sort of realization. Then, without warning, she suddenly ripped the strap attached to her arm and bolted for the door.

The woman wasn't expecting the panic attack as Emily struggled to open the door and made a run for it. Other doors blurred past her as she rushed for what she hoped was the exit. Her heart was racing, the hair along her arms stood on end when she had finally reached what appeared to be the lobby. By the time she did that, the woman had reached her. She tried looking desperately for the doors that would hopefully lead to her freedom, only to find the nurse from earlier approaching her.

"Nurse Hallie, just what in the name of God is going on, here?" someone spoke up when the woman had reached for a sedative.

"My apologies, Captain Pike," the woman sighed as she finally applied the sedative, and the woman was knocked out within seconds. That hadn't stopped the woman from gaping at the Captain in disbelief when his eyes met hers. "She woke up a few minutes ago, and panicked. I should've seen it coming, given her status."

Captain Pike rose an eyebrow in surprise as he reached them. After watching that display, it was clear that they had a lot to discuss. Whoever the newcomer was, she had a lot of fight in her. Though, it hadn't helped that she had been panicking most of the time.

"And just what might that status be?" he asked.

He'd made his rounds earlier that morning, checking on the typical potential recruits for the Academy. He didn't stop by the hospital often, but after an incident at the local bar with a few idiots who tried getting the better of another citizen, he decided today was a better day than never.

"Sir, this is a conversation best had behind closed doors," she explained, her voice dropping to a whisper, wincing as he shook his head and helped her bring the girl back to her room. "When I first scanned her vitals, they _appeared_ to be normal," she added after making sure the heart monitor was strapped back on. "But, something was off. I don't know how to explain it, but… I took a blood sample, and the results that followed told me she isn't even from here."

"You mean she's not from Earth?" he guessed, eyeing the charts curiously.

"She shouldn't have survived the injuries that she suffered from," Nurse Hallie replied in a grim voice. "It looked as if… someone had opened her up, and sewed her back together." She winced at the description, and it was only than that Captain Pike noticed the scars that were barely visible. "It's hard to explain where she's from, and I'm guessing it's something only she can explain herself."

"And you think she'd make a good recruitment for Starfleet?" Pike rose an eyebrow skeptically, and even Nurse Hallie was beginning to have her own doubts after that last episode.

"She won't have anywhere else to go," she admitted guiltily. "I tried looking up the records on her based on her samples, but… there's literally nothing on her. It's as if she doesn't exist."

Captain Pike rubbed the temple of his forehead at that. He'd been running with the Fleet for years, now, and nothing like this had ever happened. It wasn't as if he didn't have his fair share of surprises before. But, nothing could have prepared him for what would happen when the girl woke up and told him where she was from.

"Let me talk to her when she wakes up," he sighed after a few seconds had passed. "See if I can gather some information on her."

Nurse Hallie nodded at that, relieved to hear at least some good news. Once Pike had left the room, she looked back at the girl who was resting on the bed. She'd woken up several times in the middle of the night, screaming from some nightmare she was suffering from. All of those times, she had been disoriented and she could barely speak. Most of the other nurses and doctors had been doubtful that the woman would recover from whatever had happened to her. But Nurse Hallie had never given up hope. After seeing the way the woman was able to run just after waking up, she knew there was potential in her.

She sagged back into her chair and let out a sigh. This was one case she had never dealt with before, and none of her years of training could have prepared her for it. As she looked back at the blood sample once again, noting the date and everything else, she suddenly wondered if letting the girl leave was a good idea.

…

Her eyes had begun to slowly open again. Once again, the world was a blur as voices assaulted her senses. Emily glanced around warily as she began to adjust faster this time. The woman from earlier was there again, only this time, she wasn't alone. Her eyes narrowed when she saw an older looking man, with a uniform that looked vaguely familiar. She let out a groan and began to sit up once again. Even that movement was enough for her to wince in pain.

"Hey," the woman spoke softly once again, shooting the man a warning look. "How are you feeling, today?"

"Like I've been used as a punching bag," she muttered crossly, her statement making the woman frown.

"I'm sure that will take time for you to recover," she said with a shake of her head. "Do you have a name?"

Emily looked at the woman warily, having noticed that the man who she had been talking to earlier had slipped out of the room.

 _Probably to make me feel more comfortable_ , she thought bitterly. After her last episode, she couldn't blame them for wanting to take extra precautions. The shock of waking up to another room and what seemed like another world had finally gotten to her. She was still trying to figure out what had led to her full-out panic the other day.

"Emily Hayes," she replied. "I… I should be in New York. My mother was planning to stop by the other day, and she's probably worried sick."

Yeah, right. That's what it was. Emily would have rolled her eyes if it wasn't for the fact that she had no idea what had happened. Her mother could probably care less what happened to her. If anything, her parents would probably celebrate the fact that they no longer had to worry about their wayward daughter. Her parents had always seen her as the bad seed of the family to begin with. Losing her wouldn't have made a difference to them one way or another.

"Do you know what star date it is?"

This time, it was Emily's turn to frown. Star date… that sounded like something out of some science fiction film. Her chest felt tight with worry as she thought of whether or not this was some strange dream. Everything seemed and felt real enough. The woman sitting in front of her had been jotting down notes on what looked like an iPad. Her forehead was creased with worry as she continued writing down what Emily guessed was a health assessment. Or, a psych evaluation. Either way, she didn't look forward to reading what they thought about her.

"Uh, 2013," Emily replied, hoping she didn't sound nearly as shaken as she felt. Everything about this didn't feel right, other than the fact that the woman had remained strangely calm. She was beginning to wonder if this was something that these people had faced on a daily basis. "Why ask me that?"

The woman's frown deepened.

"Because, it's actually 2255," the woman explained. "Emily, do you remember what you were last doing before waking up here?"

Emily's brow furrowed as she tried to recall what had happened. She remembered slipping out of the dorm late at night. That had been her first stupid mistake, because she had wanted something warm to drink and cafeteria food sucked. And after that… the cloaked figures surrounding her… she faintly remembered them talking, whispering about how she would make a fine experiment and survive in a world where outsiders weren't accepted.

It took a few seconds for the woman's explanation to finally sink in. Her heart was beginning to race for a whole different reason as she suddenly found herself wondering how many drinks she'd had the other night. It was the only explanation she had for that moment. If those creatures had been real, if what they did really happened, she didn't want to know the full extent of what they did to her.

"No," she lied. "I don't."

The woman let out a sigh and glanced over her shoulder, in the direction that stranger had gone. She had already suspected that the stranger in question was only there to see why she had panicked so much earlier. After everything that had happened, she couldn't necessarily blame them for wanting to take matters into their own hands.

"Alright, Miss Hayes, I have a guest here who would like to speak with you," she said warily.

 _An interrogator_ , Emily realized. Of course, they wouldn't believe her. She should have known that these people wouldn't believe her. As the woman sat up and opened the door, allowing the man from earlier to step inside, Emily scowled. The damn uniform again… she _had_ seen it somewhere, but she couldn't place _where_ exactly.

"I can take it from here," he reassured the woman as she watched them cautiously. She simply nodded and stepped out of the room as he took a seat where she had been sitting earlier. His face was eerily calm as he looked at her curiously. Despite her fear from earlier, Emily suddenly found herself feeling more relaxed now than she had seconds minutes ago. "Alright, Miss Hayes, was it?" Emily narrowed her eyes before nodding. "Do you know why you're here?"

"Because I seem to have the worst luck when it comes to waking up," she grumbled, "Everything was just peachy at college, until this happened."

The man actually smirked in amusement at that.

"Something tells me college life doesn't suit you," he said thoughtfully. Emily only rolled her eyes at that. "What if I could tell you there's something better?"

"Well, I highly doubt there would be anything better, since going to college was pretty much engraved in my mind from day one," she snapped, reciting one of her parents' many 'valid' arguments. "It wouldn't matter if I had no idea what the hell I wanted in my life. Parents always seem to know best."

She scowled at that, knowing full well her mother and father would be appalled at the way she was speaking to a complete stranger. They were always the kind of people who expected her to act as a better, more upstanding citizen. The problem was, she had never been a fan of the way they saw the world like she did. It was one of the constant arguments they would get into when they were around.

The man rose an eyebrow and eyed her curiously.

"Have you ever heard of Starfleet?"

Emily frowned when he mentioned Starfleet. That was definitely something she remembered Julia mentioning. Starfleet was something from the movies Star Trek. Which could only lead to one factor: These people were from either from the world of Star Trek, or she was stuck in some serious science-fiction convention.

"God, I'm in a freaking movie," she groaned and fell back onto her bed, willing to wake up from this nightmare. "I've been listening to the professor _way_ too much."

She might even be sitting in one of his lectures right now, dreaming about this as he droned on and on about alternate universes. It wouldn't have been the first time she had such strange dreams. Then again, everything about this place felt more realistic than she wanted to admit out loud. The pain she felt was real, and the man sitting in front of her was clearly real. She couldn't tell whether or not he was surprised or annoyed with her statement, because he managed to hide his emotions after leaning forward.

"I'm sorry, did you say a movie?" the man frowned.

Emily sucked in a breath at that, finally recognizing him as nothing more than Captain Christopher Pike after a few more seconds passed. She remembered Julia mentioning his name on more than one occasion. She didn't want to admit that this was beginning to terrify her as realization began settling in. The logical part of her brain kept trying to form ideas as to why this was happening in the first place. Maybe she'd had a few too many drinks and was now hallucinating. But again, that didn't explain why she couldn't find Julia or other familiar faces from her world.

"Yep. I must be dreaming, because none of this is supposed to be real," she sighed in frustration, wishing she'd wake up already. She looked up, half-expecting him to think she was crazy and would need to be placed in some kind of institution. To her surprise, Pike actually looked amused. Well, it was good to see the guy had a sense of humor. "My roommate would get a kick out of this… she's a big fan," she added, her voice dropping to a whisper as she realized that she wasn't waking up.

"Miss Hayes, I can assure you that this is real," he told her. "The fact that you've managed to recover from those injuries, and still have enough fight to run away like you did earlier tells me that you'd make fine Cadet material."

Emily held back a groan at that. There was no way she'd enlist in some Academy for the next few years. Going through college with little to no knowledge of what she wanted to do was bad enough. Then again, she realized that if Pike was right, then she had nowhere to go. Literally. Her heart sank as she realized that she had no family, no one to rely on other than someone who would pass for a movie character.

That was when a cold sense of reality kicked in. Things like this didn't happen to people. It shouldn't. None of this was possible, and she could only believe that this was nothing more than a horrible nightmare. Something that she would eventually wake up from. Of course, the latter part of her mind was beginning to think otherwise.

None of what was happening made any sense to her. She had an overwhelming feeling that if this was real, she would be hopelessly lost in this world. Everything was so new to her. Even the medical equipment in the room she was being kept in seemed different from what she was normally used to.

"What makes you think I'd make a good Cadet?" she wondered out loud. "It's not like I've done anything worthwhile in my life, and I have no idea what the hell is going on in this world, other than the fact that there are spaceships and aliens living among people."

"Enlist in Starfleet," Captain Pike replied. "Whether you believe it or not, you'll learn everything you need to know through the Academy." She frowned after realizing he was right. As much as she hated to admit it, the only way she would understand what the hell was going on is if she went through some kind of training. "Rooms are provided for the Cadets, if that's the problem," he added when he caught a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes.

"I really don't have much of a choice in the matter, do I?" she muttered.

"You always have a choice," Pike reassured her, "whether or not you make the right choice though, is up to you."

She looked at him thoughtfully for a few seconds, thinking of any other possibility that could get her out of this. Frankly, he was right. She didn't have anywhere else to go. Enlisting in the Academy would give her valuable insight of what the world she had woken up in was like. Even if she was terrified of what would happen once she left the hospital, at least she had something to fall back on.

"Alright," she finally relented. "If it means learning how the hell I ended up here, and if there's a way back to my world, then I'll do it."

Pike only nodded at that. When the woman from earlier returned to the room moments later, her eyes widened in surprise as he explained to her what they had discussed. Emily found herself staring at the wall as she thought of everything that was happening. She couldn't shake off the feeling that this was still some kind of dream. That she would wake up and find herself back in class with the professor glaring down at her. Something told her that this was only the beginning of something much bigger than what any of them realized.


	4. Chapter 4

_"Love; it will not betray you dismay you or enslave you, it will set you free, be more like the man, you were made to be..." - Sigh No More, Mumford and Sons_

* * *

 **Chapter Four**

The damp, morning air was enough to overwhelm her senses as she found herself standing before a structure that made her gawk for what felt like hours. Her mind was already spinning with all the new information Captain Pike had entrusted her with. This was a huge culture shock for sure. Between waking up in what was a new universe to her, and finding out that aliens and humans got along well enough with each other, she was surprised she hadn't freaked out yet. Then again, Nurse Hallie had administrated another sedative the night before so that she actually got some sleep.

After realizing that she had been suffering from major anxiety upon waking up in this world, the nurse had been kind enough to offer a sedative so that she would get some proper sleep. She had been reluctant at first, but eventually, she relented to the fact that she needed the sleep more than anything to recover. Between the nightmares and everything else, she wasn't sure at the time whether or not she would get proper sleep.

As Emily did nothing more than stand there and gape, she could only imagine what would happen in the near future. The structure was like nothing she had ever seen before. Construction workers were running to and from their locations off in the distance. What really caught her attention was something that hovered several feet above the ground was what looked like a massive circular disk-like structure. Even for someone who never saw the movies, Emily knew what it was.

She never once thought she would see a Starship in person. That thought alone was enough to leave her mind spinning. The thought of what would happen left her listing through the worst-case scenarios. For a moment, she thought of turning back. After all, she didn't necessarily have to go through with this. Emily could just as easily turn her back on the offer Captain Pike made, and move on in life. But, she had nowhere else to go. She already felt lost enough.

The first thought that ran through her mind was that she'd be leaving everyone behind. From her parents who couldn't give a damn what happened to her, to Julia. She hated knowing that Julia wouldn't know what had happened to her. Especially after everything they'd been through. They had been the best of friends, despite the constant arguments they would go through on a daily basis. Leaving her behind felt worse than she would ever admit out loud.

 _I'm sorry_ , _Julia_ , she thought, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment. Julia would learn to move on, eventually. It was the fact that Emily had been torn away from everything she knew that things would be anything but easy. The least those bastards could have done was taken someone with some knowledge of this world. This was all entirely new for someone like her, and she wasn't looking forward to what would happen in the near future.

The first night after waking up in the hospital had been difficult enough for her. Captain Pike had explained to her what the enlistment process would be like. He'd spent a good hour just going over the process and how she would find the shuttle yard. After that, she had been nearly overwhelmed with the realization that she wasn't returning to her own world. Every emotion she'd tried burying while the Captain was there had all but overwhelmed her.

Now, she was struggling to fight back the same emotions that threatened to sweep through her. She tried keeping on a brave face throughout the ordeal. When she finally left the hospital and made her way towards the shipyard, she kept trying to tell herself that she wouldn't break down into tears again.

Finally, she took the chance and wandered towards the sight of the shuttle that was launching in a few minutes. The hospital had handed her a small duffel bag with what clothing they were able to find. Since she had arrived with literally nothing to her name, they were forced to scavenge and give her hand-me-downs. She was thankful they had offered her that small amount. Their generosity took her by surprise, especially since they could have easily told her to go and find her own way in this new world.

Captain Pike was still waiting for any last minute recruits who hadn't shown up yet, and she was relieved to see at least one familiar face waiting outside the intimidating looking shuttle.

"I was afraid you'd be no-show after all that," he remarked after observing the duffel bag slung over her shoulder.

"It isn't as if I have nowhere else to go," she replied with a small shrug. "Thanks for the offer."

The Captain merely offered a reassuring nod and gestured for her to join the others who were already strapped inside. Emily threw him one last look, still unsure of the fate that she was sealing herself into. She had little to no idea what to expect out of enlisting in the Academy, but she also knew that it was the only place that would offer free housing for the time being.

The moment Emily stepped inside the shuttle was when her eyes widened once again. It was bigger on the inside than it looked on the outside. Seats were set from back to back, with only a few windows to look out of. Emily glanced at one of the seats that was already taken, with blond hair and blue eyes. He didn't seem to notice her, at first, until she recognized who _he_ was. Not the guy, actually, but the actor who portrayed him in the movie.

She stood there for a few more seconds, noticing the guy looked as if he'd recovered from a recent brawl. She recalled hearing one of the doctors complaining about having to patch up a couple of Cadets who had initiated the fight the night before. Rolling her eyes, she had no doubt this guy was the one responsible for said fight. Unfortunately, there were only two seats left. She took a seat close to the guy who could easily pass for Chris Pines' twin, and she took a deep breath after making sure the harness was strapped over her.

 _This is real_ , she reminded herself, _This is real and I could just as easily have turned out with similar injuries_. _I should be thankful those bastards didn't turn me inside out, or do anything worse than leave a few scars_.

She remembered hearing from Julia the actor Chris Pines had portrayed a rather infamous character, though she couldn't quite remember his name. She suddenly wished she could have taken the time to watch the movies. Or to have at least listened to Julia's rants when she would talk about the movies. She would often try comparing the older movies with the newer ones to see which were better, though Emily never bothered paying much attention.

The man was eyeing her curiously though once she took her seat. She tried to avoid his questioning gaze when he looked her up and down. It was bad enough seeing so many unfamiliar faces watching her every move. But to have someone who could pass for a movie character look at her that way was unnerving.

"Sir? Sir, you need to take a seat."

Emily peered through one of the seats to see a rather gruff looking man desperately trying pass one of the security guards. It took her a few seconds to recognize him as the same doctor who had complained about those Cadets who were caught in the brawl the other night. She had seen him multiple times in the hospital before she was finally given the all-clear by Nurse Hallie. Though they never once made contact with each other, she had seen him catch a glimpse of her every now and then during his rounds.

"We're taking off… sir, you need a doctor!"

She rose an eyebrow when she noticed how terrified the poor guy looked. Though, between the gruff appearance and outfit, it was hard to really tell. She was surprised he hadn't cleaned up much after parting ways with the hospital. It was clear that he didn't want anything to do with the situation he was in. And that left her wondering how he ended up on the shuttle in the first place. If he wanted nothing to do with Starfleet, then why was he here?

"I don't need a doctor! Dammit, I _am_ a doctor!" he shouted back, flailing his arms frantically as if to prove a point.

"You need to take a seat," the woman fired back, clearly unmoved by his pleads.

"I had one!" he protested, "in the bathroom with no windows!"

The woman, who Emily assumed was one of the pilots or a security guard, didn't look impressed. She crossed her arms over her chest and stood in front of the man with an imposing expression that dared him to argue any further. Emily had to admit, she was impressed that a woman who was tiny compared to the man threatening her stood up to him.

"You need to get back to your seat, now."

If it wasn't for the fact that the guy had probably enlisted in Starfleet, Emily would have felt sorry for him as he looked around desperately for some kind of escape. Though, she couldn't really blame him for that fear. She had never flown in a shuttle before, and she was feeling terrified herself.

"I have aviaphobia. It means fear of dying in something that flies."

"Sir, for your own safety, sit down, or else I'll make you sit down!" The woman wasn't backing down, even though he was clearly taller and could probably bulldoze her down for the door if he wanted to. Emily rose an eyebrow at the sight as he finally gave in, taking a seat next between her and Chris Pines' twin. "Thank you," the woman sighed in exasperation.

Emily held back a sigh of her own as Aviaphobia guy tried working his harness. His shaky movements and stiff appearance told her that he really was terrified of being strapped down to his fate. She would have almost felt sorry for him if it wasn't for the fact that he was also probably suffering from a hangover. He looked more like a deer caught in the headlights with his eyes darting around frantically for signs of attacks.

"Here," she offered, keeping own voice calm and her hands steady as her fingers brushed against his in an attempt to calm his shakiness. Really, it was for her own good. She may have flown in plenty of planes within her lifetime, but she had never flown in a shuttle like this. In that sense, she understood why Aviaphobia was so terrified. His eyes wandered to hers as she snapped the harness together. "Better?"

"Anything but, darlin'," he groaned with a stiff nod.

She almost smirked in amusement when he nodded his thanks, even though his body language said the complete opposite.

" _This is Captain Pike; we're clear for takeoff_."

Aviaphobia's face turned pale as a ghost at that announcement.

"I may throw up on ya," he warned.

Emily nearly rolled her eyes when she caught the heavy southern accent in his voice. It added to the charm of his vile comment. Well, at least he had the courtesy to warn everyone. Admittedly, Emily felt her own stomach lurch as the shuttle began to take off, her own heart racing with dread the moment it lifted off the ground.

"Don't worry," Chris Pines' twin remarked, glancing at him curiously, "These shuttles are incredibly safe."

"Oh, don't pander me, kid," Aviaphobia rolled his eyes, "One tiny crack in the hull and our blood boils in thirty seconds. A solar flare might pop up and cook us in our seats. And wait 'til you're sitting pretty with a case of Andorian Shingles. See if you're still so relaxed when your eyeballs are bleeding. Space is a danger after darkness and silence."

The more he went on, the more she guessed he was listing every worst-case scenario he could think of, and it was obvious he was only making himself feel worse. She was almost tempted to reach over and give his hand a reassuring squeeze to calm him down when she stopped herself. She barely knew the man, and something told her that he wouldn't thank her anytime soon for pulling off that stunt.

"Well, aren't you just an optimistic ray of sunshine?" Emily asked with a smirk of amusement. "Are you always this enjoyable during a shuttle ride?"

If it wasn't for the terror that currently gripped him at the moment, he would have laughed at that comment. As it was, the scowl that followed was enough for her smirk to widen. Chris Pine's twin decided to cut through the building tension after he noticed that she actually was willing to talk.

"I hate to break it to you, but Starfleet operates in space," he explained knowingly.

Aviaphobia snorted loudly, then pulled out a flask from his jacket, "Yeah, well, I've got nowhere else to go." His hands were trembling as he struggled to open the top, "The ex-wife took over the whole Goddamn planet in a divorce. All I've got left are my bones."

He was still fidgeting even as the shuttle began to even out on the flight, before finally offering the flask to Chris Pines' twin. It was clear that drinking alcohol was the only way to soothe the man's nerves, even if it was probably against whatever rules were in place.

"Jim Kirk," the younger Cadet introduced himself, giving a mock salute with the flask before taking a sip.

"McCoy. Leonard McCoy."

He was about to put the flask away when he remembered the woman kind enough to strap him to his fate. The doctor glanced at her curiously, noticing that her eyes were half-closed while her own hands clung to the seat for dear life. But, that wasn't what had caught his attention. He might have been terrified at that moment, and suffering from the worst hangover in the history of hangovers, but he could clearly see the scars along her hands and arms.

One nudge was all it took for her eyes to snap open.

"What about you, sunshine?" he asked, offering her the flask.

She accepted with the faintest of smiles, "Which do you prefer, my name, or the reason I'm here?" she asked, sniffing the neck of the flash cautiously, recognizing the scent of whiskey immediately.

 _Nice_ , she thought after taking a sip. A drink, especially during a time like this, was greatly appreciated. At least the alcohol was the same in this world. She had been hoping to recognize at least _something_ from her world.

"I need the distraction, so both," he replied, his voice slightly strained.

"Well, my name's Emily Hayes," she explained, keeping her voice steady and calm as she returned the flask to the doctor, "And as for why I'm here, well… it's kind of a long story, and complicated." McCoy eyed her curiously, and she held back a sigh as she thought of how she would explain why she was on the shuttle in the first place. "I woke up in the hospital. The nurse told me that I'd been in comatose for a good three weeks before finally waking up. After that, Captain Pike suggested I enlist in Starfleet."

McCoy rose an eyebrow in surprise at that. He did recall hearing about the patient that was found in some cornfield, but he'd scoffed at the idea. Apparently, she had suffered from numerous injuries, looking close to death when she was brought in. The fact that she survived at all was what had really amazed the other nurses and doctors who were working on her case.

"Sounds like one hell of a story," Kirk snorted, sounding as if he didn't quite believe it.

"Well, at least my face doesn't look like I've hit a brick wall a few times just for the fun it," she rolled her eyes.

"For your information, I was defending myself," Kirk retorted, earning a laugh from the female Cadet sitting behind them.

"Is that what that was?" she shook her head. "You could at least tell them the truth."

"Heard it was a bar fight," Emily shrugged and smirked at Jim in amusement as he scowled.

"Something along those lines," Kirk grumbled with a roll of his eyes. If he wasn't stuck in some tin trap, McCoy would have laughed at the way they were at each other's throats. Despite that, though, Kirk seemed more amused than annoyed while Emily merely shrugged it off. "By the way, where are you from? That accent sounds familiar," he added.

"Brooklyn, New York," Emily replied. "Grew up in the city, but we moved to Manhattan when I was six, on account of my father's line of work."

"A city gal, huh?" Kirk rose an eyebrow in surprise. Then, he looked at McCoy. "And what about you… somewhere down south?"

"Georgia, actually," McCoy replied. "Grew up in Atlanta for most of my life."

Emily glanced at McCoy in surprise. She'd been to Atlanta before. Her father used to practice his studies there at the hospital before moving back to Manhattan to open his own practice. Manhattan was also the same city where her mother worked, and they worked not too far from each other.

Glancing out of the corner of her eye, she noticed McCoy had relaxed a little during their banter. Obviously, not enough for him to forget the predicament he was in, but at least it was enough to calm him down just a little bit.

The ride hadn't lasted much longer after that. Kirk kept babbling on about how he was determined to get the first name of the Cadet sitting behind them, and their banter had distracted Emily for a short time. Once the shuttle landed, Emily breathed out a sigh of relief she hadn't realized she was holding.

Though she wasn't in any hurry to step outside and see the world before her, she didn't enjoy being stuck inside the shuttle any longer than she already was.

"It was nice meeting you two," she flashed them a smile, "Oh, and Doctor McCoy, thanks for the drink."

…

"Is it just me, or is she kind of cute?" Kirk asked with a charming grin, earning an eye-roll from McCoy.

As the two of them stepped out of the shuttle, they were greeted by the heavy San Francisco air by full force. Kirk only smirked when he caught McCoy staring after Emily, who was greeted by Captain Pike once she'd grabbed a duffel bag. So, she hadn't been lying when she mentioned Pike having a talk with her.

It was clear from the way she had stiffened upon leaving the shuttle that she was overwhelmed with all the buildings surrounding her. McCoy had been trying to get a better view of the woman when he caught Kirk watching him curiously.

"Something tells me she has a thing for you," Kirk smirked while jabbing McCoy in the ribs after noticing the matter. He had to admit, the woman was easy on the eye. "I'm willing to bet there's more to her than meets the eye, too."

"Please," McCoy scoffed with a roll of his eyes, "A girl like her wouldn't want anything to do with me. Besides, I've already done the whole relationship thing, and look where that's landed me." He paused and glared at the kid as Jim merely brushed it off with a shrug. At that point, he was already feeling as if he was about to throw up when he added another question, "Anyways, do you really think I came here willingly?"

"Well, they don't force people to recruit," Kirk pointed out. "From what it sounded like, she didn't have too many options either. I bet you'd find a lot in common with her. Besides, this isn't so bad, when you think about it."

He added the last part with a wink.

"Right, I'll believe that shit when I see it," McCoy grumbled as he pushed his way past.

The tightness in his chest suddenly came rushing back as he swallowed back the vile threatening to return. Though, as he was able to spot Emily's silhouette disappearing into the crowd, he realized that maybe Kirk was right after all.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

After a heated discussion with a man known as Admiral Marcus, who happened to be one of the most intimidating men Emily ever met other than her father, she was accepted into Starfleet. Captain Pike had given his word after explaining to Marcus the situation she was in. As far as she was aware, Pike was the only one who knew where she was from. Or, more specifically, _when_. He was also the one who stepped in to become her adviser, something she would later come to appreciate.

"Now, I know that you're new to this, so I recommend signing up for as many of the basic classes as possible," he explained once they took their seats. "Once you have a grasp on that, we should be able to figure out which area you want to sign up for."

"Sir, it took me nearly four years to figure out what I wanted in college… and I haven't even made my decision, yet," she sighed, running a hand through her hair as Pike rose an eyebrow in surprise. "I guess… I just don't know what I want."

"Maybe that's because you've never seen anything like Starfleet Academy," he reminded her.

Emily chewed the bottom of her lip before realizing he made a point. She knew that if she wanted to understand what was going on in this world, taking as many classes as possible was a must. After deciding to agree with that notion, she was ushered to her dorm where she had dropped off her bag, and was quickly ushered to the next post.

Starfleet had standardized outfits for all Cadets. Each and every Cadet was given a week's worth of uniform, and expected to keep them cleaned and tidy. After having attended a boarding school for most of her life, Emily had gotten used to wearing uniforms. But, even she admitted that this was a new level of ridiculousness.

Then there was the roommate she had met just a couple of hours ago. Cadet Kayla Richards. She turned out a lot nicer than Emily was expecting, and had even shown her where everything was. She really didn't want to get lost on the first day of class, and, she found Kayla's knowledge invaluable.

By the time the first day had come to an end, Emily found herself adjusting to the schedule that was given to her. She was sitting in an introductory to weapon's class while scowling at the data PADD in front of her on the desk the following day. The instructor had informed everyone that important details of the lecture could be found on the data PADDs, along with vital information that would be on future tests. However, _accessing_ that data was a whole different story.

She'd never operated a _data PADD_ before, and she was beginning to find out they weren't as easy as they looked. Though the screen was indeed a touch screen and functioned like one, figuring out how to turn it on was a whole different story. She'd tried looking for a switch or some kind of button that would turn the screen on, only to find that nothing of the design made sense. She was so focused on trying to get the darn thing working that she didn't even notice the Cadet sitting next to her. He was watching her with a look of interest.

"Having trouble, there?" She groaned at the sound of Kirk's voice. Only she'd have the unfortunate luck of Kirk sitting next to her in class. Worst still was seeing that cocky look he was giving her. Oh, he was enjoying this. "You'd think they'd at least make sure someone knows how to use a data PADD before enlisting in Starfleet," he added sheepishly.

"I don't need your help," she snapped.

She refused to accept defeat. Especially with the way Kirk watching her every move. He seemed to get a kick out of watching her suffer from the lack of knowledge she had of this world. Of course, luck didn't seem to pay her any favors as the data PADD screen finally flickered on, but she _still_ wasn't able to gain access.

"Is there a problem, Cadet Hayes?"

The instructor had finally noticed something was going on. Her eyes widened as everyone in the room threw her curious looks. She tried ducking under their piercing looks. And all at once, she found herself resenting Kirk now more than ever for making her look like an idiot in front of everyone.

 _Then again, I'm the one refusing to accept help from anyone_ , she admitted silently.

"Nope, no problem here," Kirk replied, the confidence in his tone enough for her to roll her eyes. "She was just discussing how wonderful your lectures are, Captain Reese."

Reese didn't look the least flattered by the compliment, but luckily, he left it at that. Emily seethed with annoyance as she caught the cocky look Kirk was giving her. His excuse might have gotten her out of trouble, but that didn't mean she was in a forgiving mood.

"Alright, I need help with the damn PADD, you happy now?" she demanded, her voice dropping to a whisper.

"Remarkably so," he grinned back.

He gestured for her to hand the PADD over. She simply rolled her eyes and nearly threw it at him, her frustration getting the better of her.

 _Damn kid and that cocky smile_ , she thought angrily when he just smirked in amusement at her attitude. Still, she was surprised when he had defended her. Especially since he could have easily gotten himself in trouble for speaking up. Once he had accessed her data PADD, he handed it back.

"Thanks," she muttered crossly, relieved to find that all the information she needed was there.

"You don't sound very thankful," he retorted. Emily was about to spit something back in response, when she realized he was grinning like an idiot. "You've got a bite almost as bad as Bones'," he added.

Emily threw him an incredulous look, at what could only pass for a nickname for the man who sat beside her on the shuttle. She hadn't seen said doctor since their classes started. Though she was surprised that Kirk had mentioned him at all, which told her that he'd gotten attached to someone at the Academy.

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" she asked, deciding to humor him.

Her next class wasn't for another hour, and it was a history class on the Federation. She wasn't sure how boring the class would be. It was entirely new information to her, whereas it was probably a class that everyone at the Academy became familiar with.

"I mean, you two could practically be siblings," Kirk rolled his eyes as they walked down the steps.

"Look, I don't need some annoying kid following my every move," she snapped.

She didn't have much patience for assholes like Kirk. Especially if all he was going to do was flirt with her all day. Besides, the fact that Kirk was comparing her to some guy who could have passed for a hobo on the shuttle was downright insulting.

"See, he says the same thing!" Emily stopped at that one moment, before spinning around and facing the idiot.

"My day has already been enough of a hellhole," she spat, her voice coming out as an actual growl. Kirk only grinned at that, brushing it off as if it was nothing. "If you're half the intelligent bastard everyone makes you out to be, you will leave me alone for the rest of the day."

And, intelligent he was. She had heard Captain Pike praise his name. Despite that, it seemed as if half of the Academy was reluctant to take the kid in, because of his reputation. He didn't even look hurt as she turned and left him standing there, brushing past a group of Cadets on their way to the lecture hall.

…

"You should've asked me how to operate the data PADD," Kayla sighed as Emily finished telling her what had happened.

Emily simply nodded in agreement as they sat in the mess hall after a long day of classes. Her fork was poking absentmindedly at a piece of lettuce from the bowl of salad she picked out. At least the food was somewhat familiar to her. Kayla had to show her how the replicators worked, which were similar to a microwave, only they produced meals that were punched in with certain bits of code. She had been amazed with the amount of technology involved, and Kayla was both amused and concerned with her lack of knowledge on such technology.

By the time classes were finished, Emily's mind was spinning with all the new information thrust in front of her. She was definitely better at learning hands-on, and through repetition, so she decided that constantly looking through the data PADD and writing information down would help her. She was thankful she hadn't gotten lost, despite the campus being so huge and overwhelming. Unsurprisingly, Kirk was in about half of her classes. McCoy was in at least one of her classes, but they hadn't seen much of each other since.

"Thanks for sticking around until your next class," she sighed when Kayla had to leave.

Her roommate flashed her a sympathetic smile before heading out. Emily was lucky – all of her classes were in the morning, and she only had few evening classes. She had always been more of a morning person. Her nights were usually spent either studying or heading to the bar during the weekend once the exams were over.

She realized that things worked differently in this world. Aliens worked alongside people, who weren't technically considered aliens. That was the first culture shock she'd received. Then, there was the various languages that were more optional than anything else. She realized that learning a few languages would be useful in the long-run, especially if she did plan on joining a crew in the near-future. Maybe she would ask Kayla for some tips when they had free-time. She knew Russian and Spanish well enough, at least.

 _How did someone like me end up in a world like this_? she wondered bitterly. She wasn't anywhere near prepared for something like this to happen. It reminded her a bit too much of that character from Spirited Away, who was forced to work in a Bath House before she finally earned her freedom. Now, she suddenly found herself wishing that she'd paid attention to Julia's rants about the movies. At least that would give her a better understanding of what she was looking for.

"Dammit Jim, no!"

Her eyes snapped open at the southern drawl, looking up in time to see Kirk and a very annoyed McCoy approaching her table.

"Come on, Bones, it's the only empty table in the room."

Emily nearly rolled her eyes at Kirk's enthusiasm. It was clear that there were other tables available, but Kirk had other plans in mind. She wasn't here to make any friends, as far as she was concerned. McCoy's scowl told her that was the last thing on his mind, as well.

"What part of leave me alone did you not understand?" she deadpanned.

She narrowed her eyes as Kirk just took a seat across from her. Judging from the look McCoy was giving Kirk, he was ready to wring the kid's neck out. Not for the first time, she found herself wondering if Kirk had somehow dragged McCoy into this mess.

"Seriously, none of the other Cadets look nearly as… _pleasant_ as you," Jim replied, ignoring her question. "You have such a sunny disposition."

"Pleasant?" she scoffed. "You must be blind."

Or downright desperate. The only time a guy ever said that to her was when they were drunk. She could probably write a book on what lines guys used to either flirt with her or pick her up from the bar. Maybe she did spend a little too much time at the bar, now that she thought about it. Once Kirk sat down, McCoy reluctantly followed.

"Damn kid's persistent," McCoy grumbled under his breath.

"Yeah, no kidding."

Emily was all too willing to agree with that one, at least. Something in the back of her mind should have clicked that their friendship was more strained. Especially when she caught the glare McCoy was giving Kirk.

"So, how exactly is it that you didn't even know how to use a data PADD this morning?" Jim asked, earning a glare from Emily.

Even McCoy rose an eyebrow at that. Emily bit back a knowing groan at that, mostly because she knew it would only raise more questions than answers. She wasn't in any hurry to explain where she came from, and why she didn't know how to use the damn data PADD.

"Well, it's one of those stories that falls along with waking up in the hospital," she replied with a shrug.

"Wait, that really happened?"

God, why the hell was this kid so damn annoying with all these questions? She understood his curiosity, though. She suspected McCoy had a thousand questions himself to ask, but was polite enough to keep them to himself.

"Yes, it did happen. I don't remember what happened before that."

Other than being surrounded by those cloaked figures, and being placed on an exam table. A shiver ran through her at the thought. The nurse had explained she would likely suffer from nightmares for the next few months, along the lines of post-traumatic stress. She hadn't suffered any nightmares the other night, but she was prepared for them.

"Mysterious, and pretty," Kirk said with that cocky grin.

"Unbelievable," McCoy grumbled with a shake of his head.

"Nice try, Kirk. Your charm has no effect on me," Emily rolled her eyes, though she looked slightly amused to see McCoy trying to hide his face while Jim just grinned back.

"But, I do have charm, right?"

"Depends on your definition of charm," she shrugged. "At any rate, I'm not interested."

"In what? Me, or Bones?"

Emily rose an eyebrow incredulously as she caught the glare McCoy was giving Kirk. His question caught her off guard, especially as she caught the momentary panic in McCoy's eyes.

"I thought I asked you not to call me that," he muttered crossly.

"I said I'd 'think' about it," Kirk replied with a shrug, brushing the threatening look off nonchalantly. "Besides, the name fits."

He added the last part with another goddamn cocky smile, and Emily was half-tempted to punch it off his face. She'd spent enough classes with Kirk to have had enough with that cocky grin. The worst part of it was, he didn't seem to understand just how irritating he could be most of the time.

"I'm not justifying that question with an answer," she threw her hands up, not wanting to get caught in whatever rift he was trying to form. "I just want to get through classes without any trouble."

"Yeah, good luck with that," McCoy scoffed, shooting Kirk another glare.

The kid only shrugged at that, looking meek as he realized _why_ McCoy was glaring at him.

Emily found it ironic that McCoy could actually tolerate Kirk at all. Then again, she suspected this friendship had been forced upon McCoy. Like he had said, Kirk was persistent. Annoyingly so, but she had to admit, she did like his charm.

"I should head back to the room," she sighed after looking down at her empty tray. She stood up and left before Kirk could stop her, much to her relief. "I guess I'll see you around," she added over her shoulder as she left the room.

The moment she'd stepped outside was when she could breathe out a sigh of relief. As much as she hated to say it, what Kirk had said about making friends was true. She wasn't here to do so, but it would help in the long-run. She glanced over her shoulder one last time before heading for the dorm.

…

"I think she likes you," Kirk said cheekily once she was gone. That awkward moment had left them both staring after her, and now, McCoy was fumbling with himself to get that image out of his head. Maybe it was the mental strain of being thrown from one class to another, but McCoy had found her strangely attractive the moment she fired back at Kirk. "She's a bit too feisty for my liking."

All too soon, McCoy found himself pushing those thoughts aside. After what led him to enlisting in the Academy in the first place, he wasn't in any hurry to go through that again. Seeing that half of the Cadets in said Academy were younger than him hadn't helped matters. Hayes was the only one who seemed to be around the same age, though McCoy doubted they would ever see each other as anything more than just fellow Cadets.

"You've gotta be kidding me?" McCoy scoffed.

Though, his thoughts drifted back to the way she had glared when Kirk first approached the table. Yet, despite that first initial reaction, she had warmed up to them. He hated to admit it, but there _was_ something about her that intrigued him.

"Nope, not kidding," Kirk patted him on the back, earning a glare.

"Look, I'm done with relationships," he sighed irritably. "Last one didn't end well, and I sure as hell ain't going through something like that again."

"Well, isn't that why you signed up for Starfleet? For a fresh start in life?" Kirk rose an eyebrow and eyed McCoy skeptically.

McCoy only shook his head in frustration, scowling as he realized Kirk knew exactly what questions to ask. The next few weeks were gonna be hell.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

" _I was born to be royal, I was made to be free..._ " - Back to the Garden, Crowder

* * *

Another long shift in the hospital left McCoy numb with exhaustion, and a throbbing headache. The exhaustion he could deal with – nothing a cup of coffee that couldn't fix – it was the headache that was nagging him. He wasn't in any hurry to go back to the dorms, so he made his way to the mess hall to grab a cup. While it wasn't the best coffee in the world, it was certainly better than nothing. Besides, the mess hall wouldn't be too crowded at this time of the evening.

A week of classes in the Academy and it was exactly the hellhole he expected. It as basically like going to high school all over again, with the cliques and groups that were formed among Cadets. McCoy had quickly learned that he already had a reputation, much to his annoyance. Most Cadets gave him a wide birth, and if that wasn't enough, he had Kirk bugging him most of the day. The only breath of fresh air he had was Hayes, another Cadet that Kirk was so determined to befriend.

The fact that she'd brushed off every attempt Kirk made at flirting with her told him she wasn't in any hurry to start a relationship herself. Not to mention, she had a temper about her that could scare off any Cadet. McCoy had learned that the hard way just two days ago, when she was dragged into medical over a stomach bug of all things. That hadn't been one of their more memorable moments. It was only thanks to Kirk and her roommate that she had been dragged back to the medical center. And even after that, things hadn't gone so smoothly between them.

McCoy frowned at the thought of Hayes. There was something else going on with her. Whether it was the way she avoided making eye contact with anyone, or the way she fidgeted in her seat every now and then, he knew the signs of PTSD anywhere. There were plenty of questions he wanted to ask her, but doing so was easier said than done. The ironic thing was, he recalled hearing stories of a woman who was found in the middle of a cornfield back in Riverside.

Once inside the mess hall, McCoy was surprised to find he wasn't the only one awake this late at night. His frown deepened as he heard music playing softly from a device as he walked further inside, towards the drink station. McCoy was careful not to disturb her as he grabbed a mug of coffee, surprised to see that she had one herself. That didn't stop him from stealing a look in her direction. Despite his longing to get away and have some much needed alone time, he couldn't help but notice that something was clearly wrong.

"You're up late," he remarked after reaching the table.

She finally looked up, eyes widening when she realized she wasn't alone. McCoy frowned when he noticed the dark rings under her eyes. It was clear she hadn't been sleeping well. Though, judging from the cup of coffee she currently had in one hand, he could see why.

"I uh, couldn't sleep," she explained with a shrug after recovering from the initial surprise. McCoy rose an eyebrow at that, noticing just how exhausted she really looked. "It's kind of a long story," she added cautiously. Suspicions rising, McCoy gestured for her to explain. "When I woke up in that hospital, the nurse said that I shouldn't have survived whatever happened to me. They said the blood loss alone would have killed me, if the elements hadn't."

That didn't explain the lack of medical records. Or the fact that McCoy had done any research on her history at all. Once again, McCoy found himself fumbling to get out of that image. What was it about Hayes that drove his curiosity? Maybe Kirk had a point in suggesting she was mysterious… and yes, she was pretty. Whatever the case, he needed to clear that mental image out of his head.

She wasn't a patient, and she certainly wasn't someone he would consider a partner. Hell, they weren't even friends. The only few times they'd actually talked to one another was when Kirk wedged his way into whatever walls she'd built. And even than, talking had been a rare occasion between them.

"So, you don't remember a thing?" he pressed, hoping she'd at least have more to go by.

"No," she shook her head. "The only clues I have are nightmares, and that's not a lot to go by." That explained her lack of sleep. What bothered McCoy was where those nightmares would have come from in the first place. What wasn't she telling him? "So, how'd a doctor with aviaphobia end up enlisting in Starfleet?"

 _Way to change the subject_ , McCoy almost rolled his eyes. Though, he wasn't entirely surprised. He hated to admit it, but it was pretty damn hard to ignore that charming smile of hers. Or those eyes that seemed to captivate him. Of course, she would bring up the one question that he tried avoiding the most.

"I was drunk," he admitted, biting his tongue after noticing the way her eyebrows rose. She didn't look entirely surprised. "And downright depressed. Not the best combination when someone comes knocking at the door, asking to sign some papers."

"Something tells me there's more to that story."

McCoy rose an eyebrow at that. Almost immediately, the same wall he built up any time the uncomfortable subject was brought up began to build itself. It wasn't until finally looking her in the eyes that something changed. She dropped her own piercing gaze and looked down at the table guiltily.

"Sorry, that was out of line," she sighed after realizing that she'd made a mistake.

"No, it's fine," he reassured her, feeling a bit flabbergasted by her sudden change in mood. Hell, most people could have cared less whether bringing up his past affected him. That was when an idea suddenly occurred to him. Considering they hardly knew each other, this was a good place to start as any. "How about this, darlin', I share a little something about my past, and you share something about yours?" he suggested, earning a look of surprise from her.

She seemed to think it through before nodding in agreement.

"Why start now, if you don't mind me asking?" she asked curiously before they could get started.

 _Because I'm just as curious as you are_ , McCoy wanted to say, though he kept that to himself. She certainly knew how to get to the point. There was something infuriating about this woman that only drew him in, and that was dangerous. He would have thought after everything he had been through, that talking to women let alone getting to know them was the last thing on his mind.

"Something tells me we could both use the distraction," he replied with a shrug. Hayes quirked an eyebrow at that before letting him carry on. "My dad was a doctor. Wanted nothing more than for me to follow in his footsteps. Guess I never thought of taking a different path along the way, until meeting the ex-wife. Life would've gone great if it wasn't for the divorce that gave me hell."

She eyed him thoughtfully for a few seconds. For all that it was worth, that wasn't even the worst part of his past. Last thing he wanted to bring up was being responsible for his own father's death. Or, having to relive the moments where his father was begging for him to end his life.

"I know the feeling," she said thoughtfully, and McCoy glanced at her in surprise. "Following in your parent's footsteps," she added cautiously. "My dad was a doctor who worked in Manhattan… he could do just about everything you'd ask of him; everyone looked up to him. And my mother was a scientist, who did research at the same hospital. As for my sister, she was the family prodigy. They always expected more out of me, but honestly, I had no idea what I wanted in my life. Hell, I still don't."

Well, that certainly was a lot to think about. McCoy wondered about the Hayes' family name, and what sort of practice her father was into. Though, he couldn't blame her for feeling overwhelmed with family obligations.

"That why you enlisted in Starfleet?" he asked curiously.

She flinched at that, and once again, the doctor inside him was already running through the possibilities of why. Whatever she had been through prior to enlisting in the Academy was what led to those reactions. And curiosity was beginning to get the better of him as he wondered what she could have been through to cause such reactions. He may not be a therapist, but he suspected talking would lead to a possible answer to those questions.

"I have my reasons," she whispered in response, refusing to make eye contact, pausing for a few seconds before finally speaking again, "Do _you_ regret your choice?"

Once again, her question took him by surprise. Damn. Girl really knew how to hit the high marks. For a moment, he considered refusing an answer. Yes, he did have regrets the morning after he had signed those damn papers. Hell, he still regretted all of the choices he'd made over the years.

"No." Despite all shitty regulations that could make anyone's head spin, and everything else for that matter. Their eyes met, and McCoy found himself startled as he caught something in those brown eyes. He met his own _reflection_. Her eyes told him that she had suffered years of hardship and regret herself. He was beginning to realize that Emily Hayes was not like the other Cadets at Starfleet. "Do you?" he suddenly found himself asking.

"No, I don't," she replied.

…

If it wasn't for the time slipping away so fast, Emily thought they could have talked throughout the whole night. Leonard McCoy was not like any other person she had met. To say he hadn't suffered his own fair share in life was an understatement. She hadn't anticipated the nightly visit, or the fact that he was willing to listen when she had talked about her own past experiences. Despite everything the world had thrown at him, there was still the faintest spark of someone who could change the world, and make it a better place.

She knew what the other Cadets had been whispering about the Doctor. They claimed he was terrifying in person, and had a drinking problem. She shook her head at the thought. Yes, he may have a terrible bedside manner that could scare away just about anyone. But, there was more to him than that.

She saw someone who cared, deeply about anyone he considered a friend. And he'd do anything in his goddamn power to make sure they were okay. His compassion and commitment to his work was what had really taken her by storm. He reminded her of someone who wasn't planning on giving up on life anytime soon, despite what the world threw at him.

"Did you get any sleep last night?" Kayla rose an eyebrow as she looked at Emily. She shot her a look that said everything Kayla needed to know. Rolling her eyes, Kayla sat down on her bed and eyed Emily seriously. "What exactly were you doing that kept you up so late?"

"I was um… talking," Emily shrugged, suddenly feeling sheepish about the whole thing. Kayla crossed her arms, and Emily flinched under her stare. "Look, I couldn't sleep, and I sure as hell didn't want another nightmare waking both of us up. So, I went over to the mess hall."

"Em, you don't have to do that," Kayla sighed with a shake of her head. "I know that whatever happened couldn't have been easy, especially if you still have nightmares from it. I won't hold that against you."

"Well, I'm fine, now," Emily reassured her.

Kayla merely rolled her eyes at that. It was clear something else had happened that night, and of course, Emily wasn't going to tell her. She knew that Emily usually had lunch with Kirk and McCoy, and most Cadets often referred to them as the Terrible Trio due to the constant bickering going on between them. Their friendship was questionable, at best. If Kayla thought there was something else going on between the three of them, she'd likely be the first to report it.

"Look, just promise me you won't do something crazy, okay?" she asked as they left their room and headed towards the lecture halls.

With classes in full swing, there was no missing out on anything important. Both Emily and Kayla were fully aware that being punctual was an important aspect of the Academy. She had quickly learned that the best thing to do was go with the flow and hope for the best out of these classes.

"I can't make that guarantee," Emily only smirked at her, earning a glare seconds later. Emily stopped in her tracks when she saw Jim sitting at the steps leading to the lecture hall. She rose an eyebrow after noticing that he almost looked bored upon waiting for someone exciting to arrive. "Is there any reason you're sitting here on the steps?" she asked nonchalantly.

"Nope, just waiting for my favorite neighbor."

Kayla scoffed at that, rolled her eyes and turned so that her back was facing him.

"I'll be fine, Kayla," Emily reassured her once again, knowing exactly what was going on through her mind.

Honestly, she really wasn't all that surprised. The rumors didn't do him any justice, and, while some of them were true, the majority weren't. There was more to Jim Kirk than meets the eye, much like McCoy. And while he could be an obnoxious pain in the ass most of the time, he was also a good friend. Someone Emily knew she could rely on.

"Your roommate single?" Jim rose an eyebrow, smirking as Kayla headed off to her next class.

"Don't get any ideas," Emily scoffed, rolling her eyes when she caught the coy grin.

* * *

 **AN: Finally finished fixing this chapter up. Quite a few changes in this one, along with some dialogue, especially revolving around McCoy's family history (ended up doing a lot research after typing that chapter, and I was thoroughly disappointed with my mistakes D:)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

The library had become a place of sanctuary for Emily. She found it was much more suitable for her when she needed time to think or time to study. Jim would often stop by and join her, along with Leonard. After a few weeks of classes went on, the the relationship between herself and Jim had become less strained. She long-since suspected that Jim needed someone who was willing to look after him, and it seemed as if she was the one to do so.

That was how she ended up spending most of her time during lunch. Jim may have been an annoying pain in the ass at times, but she did enjoy his sense of humor. As for Leonard, well, he was a completely different story. Emily wasn't even sure what to think of Leonard, other then the fact that he was someone who cared enough to give a shit about the people he knew. They spent a lot of whatever time they had together just talking and getting to know one another. It was better to talk when Jim wasn't around to push either of them. And Emily was beginning to find herself enjoying Leonard's company more than she would ever admit out loud.

The best part of the library was how peaceful it was. The quiet was just what she needed from a day of classes. She used it as a chance to catch up on her studies and brush up on languages that Kayla was currently teaching her. What amazed her the most was how easy it was to adapt to this way of life. She loved these classes; they weren't even much of a challenge, as far as she was concerned. Her parents had always seen her as nothing more than the bad seed of the family, but they never understood just how much she enjoyed challenging her mind. The Academy had provided her with the perfect opportunity to do just that.

At least, the library was supposed to be a place of peace and quiet. Emily wasn't the least bit surprised when she found she wasn't alone. It seemed as if she wasn't the only one who used it as a chance to escape from Jim's antics. He'd often get her or Leonard involved in one of his schemes, which would get them in trouble, as usual. Though it took a while for Emily to get used to whatever trouble Jim would cause, that didn't mean she enjoyed them.

"Busy studying?" Leonard asked when he stood across from her, dropping a data PADD on the table in the process.

"Something like that," she replied with a shrug. Technically, she had been reading up on Starships and their warp core. "I take it Kirk's on another date?" she asked when he sat down across from her.

It became obvious that Jim would spend whatever free-time he had with the women he flirted with. Emily didn't know what was more awkward. The fact that Jim spent any chance he had flirting with her when Leonard was around, or the fact that he slept with a record amount of women in the Academy. The worst part was that he bragged about his one-night stands. Emily grimaced at the memory of him explaining how he'd shared a room with alien twins. He'd described every detail, which only added to the awkwardness that followed.

When Jim finally tried pulling that stunt on her, she had been almost too stunned to come up with a response. She finally managed to wriggle herself out of that one, and Jim didn't bother trying that again after realizing she was off-limits. He quickly figured out that she wasn't in any hurry to start a relationship anytime soon after she snapped at him in the middle of a busy mess hall. Though it had been an embarrassing moment for both of them, they eventually recovered and began seeing eye to eye.

"What do you think?" Leonard scoffed, rolling his eyes in annoyance as he set down the data PADD. "I've lost track of how many women he's been with. Of course, it helps when he brags about every goddamn woman he's with."

"You've been keeping track?" she remarked with a coy smile, and Leonard just looked back incredulously. "At any rate, I'm done with relationships. Last one didn't end so great."

It was a relationship that had ended in miserable failure. She grimaced at the less-than-stellar memory she had of that incident. It had been nearly three years, but she would never forget that phone call, or the shrill, angry voice of a woman telling her to fuck off. It was also at that time when she was feeling at her lowest point in life.

Unfortunately, Leonard had learned over the last couple of weeks that looking him right in the eye was one of the best ways to get her to talk. She refused to make eye contact for a while as she grabbed her things and got ready to leave. She almost smirked when Leonard took that as a cue to do the same – something that did not go by unnoticed by the other Cadets around them.

"Care to talk about it?" he asked as they walked across the campus courtyard.

"Since when did you turn into my therapist?" she retorted with a roll of her eyes.

The two of them had found a way to get to know one another by sharing stories of their past. While Leonard kept his vague, Emily wasn't much better. She didn't openly talk about her past for a reason. Mostly because she knew it would raise more questions than answers for Leonard. Seeing the lopsided grin that followed was enough to make her smirk in amusement. A smile from Leonard McCoy was a rare gift, and something she found herself appreciating more and more.

"Guess you have a point, there." Emily couldn't hide the triumphant grin that followed as they reached the nearest tree and paused for a moment.

"Alright, McCoy, why not tell me something about yourself, if we're going to do this song and dance again?" she suggested.

For a moment, Leonard looked as if he was going to argue when he thought better of it. Even he knew the risks of getting too involved with Cadets outside of classes. Though, the latter part of his mind already told him he was beyond that point.

"Okay." She took a deep breath as they stopped outside, sitting side-by-side on a bench as other Cadets walked past them to their classes. "During my first year of college, I was dating this guy from my physics class for almost a year. I thought he was the perfect guy, someone who genuinely seemed to care about me, and everyone else he was close to. Things were going great between us, until about a month after that first year. That was when I got a call from another girl, who was only a dorm away from where I stayed."

She paused, thinking back to how painful that day had been. Julia had been away at the time it had happened for spring break.

"She basically told me to jump off a cliff for even considering dating him," she finally sighed after noticing he hadn't interrupted her. It was one of the many qualities of Leonard McCoy that she found infuriatingly charming. He rarely interrupted her, and she would often return the favor. "At the time, I actually considered doing that. My life was already down the drain at that point, and it wasn't like I'd be missed."

She couldn't help but flinch after noticing how eerily quiet it had gotten. Glancing out of the corner of her eye, she could see that he was looking at her in shock. Honestly, she hadn't shared this story with anyone, not even Julia. At the time, she hadn't had the heart to share it. She could still remember hearing that shrill voice over the phone when that woman called her. The shock of finding out that he had been dating another girl wasn't what hurt the most. It was the fact that he'd admitted after receiving said phone call that he was seeing the other girl that left her reeling with shock and anger.

"What changed your mind?" he finally found the courage to ask.

"Honestly, it was music that saved my life," she replied, giving a half-smile as she remembered hearing one song in particular that had really changed her life. "There was an artist known as Matthew West who held a concert on our campus, and when I heard him for the first time, and heard the stories that he had to share, it made me realize that I wasn't the only one in the world with problems."

She remembered that day all too well. Julia had dragged her out of the dorm after she'd noticed something was seriously wrong with her, practically begging for _someone_ to join her at the concert. Eventually, Emily had relented, and the moment she could see him on stage was when her world was changed for the better.

"The only regrets I have is not finding out sooner," she admitted guiltily.

It was also the start of a life-long obsession towards Christian music, and to some of the many adventures she and Julia had had during their three years of college. She almost smiled at the memories they had shared together during their trips.

"Well, I'd say you made the right choice," Leonard remarked thoughtfully, noticing that she had perked up a little after sharing her story.

"I'm glad someone believes that," she smirked before nudging him playfully, "Alright, Doctor, I shared my story, now it's your turn."

"Well, for starters, my life wasn't always a mess," he replied after rolling his eyes. "I had a wife, married just after receiving my medical degree. Thought she was the perfect woman, and, at the time, she was. She had a charm that could win the heart of any men, which is where the real trouble started. When my career as a doctor started, I spent most of my hours working at the hospital. I didn't think much of it at the time, until I came home one night. You can imagine my surprise when I found her sleeping with someone."

Emily's eyes widened in disbelief at that. She'd heard far too many stories of wives cheating on their husbands, using the same old excuse that 'they were never around enough'.

"What happened after that?" she couldn't help but ask.

"Fights broke out. They weren't major fights, just arguments over why. She practically had my parents wrapped around her fingers, and they fell for her story, blaming me for whatever happened. After that, I filed for a divorce and moved out."

She nodded at that, guessing that was when the drinking had begun. Hearing his story somehow made hers feel less insignificant.

"I'd say she made a mistake." Her voice was barely a whisper, but Leonard heard her loud and clear. "Hell, if she couldn't see past that Southern charm of yours, she clearly didn't deserve you."

She surprised herself by saying that. If it weren't for the other Cadets who'd been watching them curiously, she would have said more. Leonard gave her a small smile after looking at her in surprise. She blinked at that, having realized that he didn't do it often. Compared to Jim Kirk, who used his smiles to win over the heart of any woman, Leonard's were award-winning.

"So, what was the name of the song that saved your life?" he managed to ask after an awkward silence followed.

"The Reason for the World," she replied with a shrug. "It gives me a reason to believe that there's a better future out there, that there's something worth fighting for."

…

"The events of the USS Kelvin is another reminder of how one decision can save the lives of thousands of people."

Emily blinked in surprise after Captain Reese was finished explaining the story behind the USS Kelvin, a ship that had been destroyed by Romulans over twenty years ago. She glanced over at the empty seat where Jim normally sat, noticing he hadn't bothered showing up that morning.

His father had sacrificed himself so that the crew could escape. She hadn't really heard the whole story when Julia tried explaining the opening of the movie, and she never bothered asking. Now, she was beginning to regret that decision.

 _There's still so much I have yet to learn_ , she thought guiltily, wishing she had taken advantage of her old roommate's knowledge. After her conversation with Leonard the other day, her mind was still reeling with surprise over the fact that they had talked at all. _Why on Earth would I ever tell anyone about my past_? she wondered, shaking her head at the silent question.

People didn't usually care. They just pushed it aside as if it was nothing, and moved on with their lives, expecting her to do the same. She supposed it was curiosity that had drawn them together. In a sense, she had been curious about his past. What had surprised her more than anything, was that _he_ seemed to care. It was the first time anyone had ever shown genuine concern about what had happened when she was younger.

"Hey, are you okay?" Kayla asked when she reached the mess hall that afternoon. "You look out of it."

"I'm fine," Emily reassured her. "I just… have a lot on my mind."

"Uh-huh," Kayla nodded and gave her a look that said something was up. "Wouldn't have anything to do with your little chat with the Doctor, now would it?" Emily's eyes widened at that, and Kayla's smug look told her that she'd hit a sore spot. "It's only been what, three weeks, and you two are already acting like long-lost friends. I mean, just about everyone else I've talked to are terrified of him."

"That's because they've never taken the chance to get to know him," Emily snapped, her eyes narrowing as Kayla leaned against her seat and grinned. "Look, I'm not having this conversation. I've got enough to worry about as it is."

For one thing, Jim rarely skipped out on classes. For another, she suspected it had something to do with the lecture. She had noticed that whenever a rude Cadet would ask him a question about his father, Jim would tense up and verbally shut down. It was clear that any mention of his father put him on edge, and she was beginning to understand why.

"So, that's it? You're just gonna leave it at that?" Kayla asked, her smirk turning to a frown when she noticed something else was on her mind.

"Yes," Emily replied after finishing her meal. "I'm not having this conversation, period."

Once she was finished, she quickly threw away what was left of her meal before deciding to leave. Last thing she wanted was another conversation revolving around whatever friendships she'd made. Especially a friendship revolving around Leonard and Jim. Nope. That was something she would rather keep to herself.

…

In all honesty, Emily wasn't surprised to find Jim at the bar later that night. She and Leonard had taken it upon themselves to find the kid, after he had ditched all of his classes that day. When they met up at the library as per usual, and she voiced her own concerns, that was when Leonard knew something was up. Emily frowned as she saw him sitting on one of the stools, holding a pack of ice to his head.

"How'd you two find me?" he groaned after realizing he wasn't alone.

"We know you better than you realize," Leonard pointed out after sitting beside him, and Emily sat on his other side. "You missed all your classes."

"Yeah, and your point being?" Jim scoffed.

"Jim, you never miss classes," Emily reminded him this time, knowing that something was clearly wrong.

"Yeah, well, there's a first time for everything," he brushed her off with a shrug.

Emily exchanged a wary look with Leonard, having already guessed where this was headed. Something in the back of her mind told her that this had to do with the lecture in class, today. Mentions of his father and the attack on the USS Kelvin couldn't be easy. She couldn't imagine what that must have felt like, losing your father and than being reminded of the incident over and over again.

Instead of encouraging Jim to go home, the two of them sat with him in silence for the rest of the night. If Jim wanted to talk about why he had skipped classes all day, he would tell them eventually. Emily had learned overtime that sometimes, the best therapy session was just sitting in silence with her closest friends.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

" _Brother let me be your shelter, never leave you all alone, I can be the one you call, when you're low..._ " - Brother, NEEDTOBREATHE

* * *

Almost three months had passed since classes started at Starfleet Academy. Within those three months, Emily had excelled in all of her classes, opting for a chance to take as many different classes as possible. She wasn't sure what field to go into – there were so many to choose from, and she found each of them interesting in their own form. Medical had its benefits, and she already had some knowledge in the field thanks to her father's line of work. Communication, Engineering, Navigation and Security were among her top four favorite, though.

Overall, Emily had adjusted well to life at the Academy. She hadn't realized until than just how thankful she was to have woken up in this world. Despite all that had happened prior to waking up, she could start a new life, here. The best part of it was, she didn't have to follow in her parent's footsteps. She didn't have a sister they would always compare her to, and, best of all, there was no one other than Commanding Officers to tell her what she could or couldn't do.

Kayla had proven herself invaluable, throughout those three months. As much as Emily hated to admit it, she wouldn't have survived without her advice. Kayla was helping her learn Klingon along with various other languages, and her patience was almost as impressive as Leonard's. Then, there was Jim Kirk and Leonard McCoy. The three of them had become the best of friends over the last three months. Both Kirk and McCoy soon found out that once they had gained her trust, Emily was one of the most loyal friends anyone could ask for. She defended them relentlessly against any of the rumors that were flying around campus, especially since most of them weren't even true.

It was hard to believe that she had once thought this world was based off of a movie. She realized now how foolish that sounded, almost like an insult. The people were real. Everyone here had their own damn problems that made her regret feeling sorry for herself all those wasted years. She soon learned that Jim's father had sacrificed himself to allow the USS Kelvin crew a chance to escape, his mother and himself among the crew. Jim had never appreciated anyone from the Academy pointing out the fact, and so, it was never really brought up until Emily had read it in a history book. It made his behavior all the stranger when she thought of how cheerful he usually was.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" Kayla asked when she noticed that Emily hadn't changed her position on the bed all day. With everyone else getting ready to leave for Christmas break, Emily refused to leave the dorm. She along with a small handful of Cadets weren't leaving, mostly because they either had no family to go to, or their families were away for the holiday. "I mean, I don't have to go back, and—"

"Kayla, I'll be fine," Emily reassured her after noticing how anxious Kayla looked. She had one suitcase on the bed, with at least two weeks worth of clothing. Emily wasn't even sure what she would do for all that time. All she did know was that it was the first time she would be spending Christmas alone. "Go and be with your family, I know how much that means to you."

Besides, it wasn't like she would be alone. Though, Christmas was never her favorite holiday to begin with. She had multiple reasons for her distaste in Christmas. She never had the heart to admit why Christmas wasn't her favorite holiday. Her family had never been supportive in the first place. To make matters worse, they always seemed to expect more out of her than she could ever provide for them. The only reason she'd ever celebrated the holiday was because she had either been dragged into it by her family, or because Julia would offer a free place to stay at her family's place.

"Emily, you've been down since Christmas break began. I know that you're normally grumpy during and after classes until Kirk or McCoy somehow work their way into your heart. So, what's really going on?" Kayla asked when she sat down across from her.

Emily chewed the bottom of her lip as she looked at her roommate, uncertainty and worry clouding her thoughts. She didn't want to dampen Kayla's spirits. Her roommate had been ecstatic with the holidays finally arriving. Hell, Kayla even managed to decorate their dorm with a few lights and knickknacks that she'd purchased while on vacation with her family.

"I'd rather not talk about it," she sighed, running a hand through her hair.

Kayla rolled her eyes at that. It seemed the only person who was able to get her to talk was McCoy. She wasn't sure whether to feel insulted by that, or impressed. Either way, she was annoyed with the fact that Emily closed herself off to the rest of the world when there were people willing to listen.

"Just promise me you'll be careful," she murmured after grabbing her suitcase.

"You know I can't guarantee that won't happen," Emily retorted with a smirk.

Kayla stuck her tongue out, then she grinned as she headed for the door. The moment she was gone was when Emily flopped herself on the bed and stared at the ceiling once again.

This really was going to be her first Christmas without her family. In a way, it was almost bittersweet. Her family would have a big gathering at their place, where the younger kids of her cousins would open presents and the adults would exchange gifts. Emily could still remember that one year when she had literally received a box with nothing but coal in it. That was a gift courtesy of her wonderful sister. From that day on, she had always hated Christmas.

It wasn't like anyone had ever approved of her life choices, either. The more she thought about it, the more she wondered why she _wanted_ to remember them. None of her family on either side gave one bit of crap about her. She scowled at the thought, realizing that maybe this universe, movie or not, wasn't nearly as bad as she first thought.

She turned to the music device she had bought a couple of months ago, filled with the music she had once listened to from her universe. The good news was; the music was the same. She tried to remain optimistic throughout the first semester. It was one of the few reasons she had gotten as far as she had. But, more often than not, she would find herself tearing up at all the years that were lost in that other universe.

Closing her eyes as the music drowned out any outside noise, she willed the depressing holiday to be over quickly. Christmas couldn't end fast enough.

…

It was only two hours later when a knock sounded on the door. Emily hadn't moved from her spot on the bed, just staring at the ceiling for what felt like hours. She wasn't expecting any visitors, and hadn't planned on going anywhere. But, the moment didn't last long when she peered through the peephole on the door. Emily rose an eyebrow in surprise when she saw Jim and Leonard waiting outside. One tried looking enthusiastic, while the other looked as if he'd been dragged into whatever mess the latter was planning.

"What can I help you gentleman with?" she asked after opening the door.

"You got any plans for Christmas?" Jim asked, unable to hide the grin that followed.

Emily rose an eyebrow at that, glancing at Leonard cautiously, who only shook his head.

"No, not really," she admitted, frowning as she wondered just what kind of scheme Jim had in mind for the night.

"Not a fan of the holidays?" Leonard guessed, noticing how she had tensed at the question.

"No, I just don't like Christmas," she sighed, finally looking at them both. She knew that it was only a matter of time before she had to explain the reasons behind her dislike towards the holidays. Though, it had nothing to do with the fact that she had no family to turn to. "Family wouldn't want me around anyways."

Jim scowled at that, having already dealt with an abusive step-father far more times than he could count. He had a feeling there was more going on than she'd let on, especially when he caught the look in Leonard's eyes. Somehow, the two of them had become good friends without him even knowing.

"You know what, screw the parents," he suddenly huffed, earning looks of surprise from both Emily and Leonard. "Why not actually do something enjoyable for a change, make Christmas memorable?"

"Because your idea of an 'enjoyable night' is a night at the bar," Leonard retorted, and Jim rolled his eyes.

Well, a night at the bar didn't seem like a bad idea, at the moment. Especially given the circumstances. She was in no hurry to explain why she was so upset. Leonard would figure it out soon enough, and she suspected Jim was already aware that _something_ bigger was going on.

"Come on, Bones, it'll be fun," he nudged him playfully.

Leonard merely rolled his eyes at that. His idea of fun and Jim's were two completely different views.

"You know, a night out in the city doesn't sound like a bad idea."

Jim's smirk only grew wider as Leonard let out a sigh of frustration and gave in.

"Fine," he muttered crossly.

…

She was no stranger to drinking. Hell, Emily probably spent more times at the bar while she was in college than she ever did, here. She and Leonard would sometimes stop by just to get to know each other. Those were some of their more memorable nights together. With no one from the Academy around to judge them, it was nice just to slip away and get to know one another without the need to be professional about it. Though, tonight was different.

She didn't want to admit that she had been crying before they had shown up. The fact that she was spending her first holiday without her family should have been cause for celebration. But, it was only a bitter reminder of just how far from home she really was. Leaving behind everyone and everything she knew had finally hit her hard. It suddenly left her wondering what they would be doing around this time. Worst still, it left her wondering if they even missed her.

Whatever the case, they had reached the bar, her normal standard Starfleet uniform left behind for a light gray t-shirt and gray jeans. The bar itself was cleaner than she expected, with classic rock music that played softly in the background.

"So, what was it like in New York?" Jim asked thoughtfully after they had ordered their first round of drinks.

"Chaotic," she replied. "The parents earned a lot of money with their careers. While my dad was working at the hospital in Manhattan, I was shipped off to boarding school for the majority of my life, until college started. I figured boarding school was their way of getting rid of me, since they saw me as nothing more than the bad seed of the family."

Truthfully, she had never been close to her parents. Her sister was sent to a prestigious academy, while she went to some boarding school in upstate New York. Somehow, she was always left under the carpet while her sister got everything she wanted. It was laughably ironic, when she thought about how their roles had been changed. They always thought that her sister would be going places with her intelligence. They never once considered that she herself had passed all of her classes with flying colors, and she would often challenge herself further when she got bored with those classes.

"Sounds like a charmed life," Leonard scoffed with a roll of his eyes.

"Beats living with the people who always seem to think that my sister was the best at everything," she retorted. "Though, I have to admit, it was fun watching them squirm whenever I did something just to piss them off. Used to spend a lot of time at the bar."

And have sex with random men during the weekend whenever she had the chance. She didn't miss the incredulous look Leonard threw her at that. Well, it wasn't like she was mentioning anything she _hadn't_ told him. After all, she'd gotten so used to doing things that pissed her parents off that this was second-nature.

She really did find it ironic, now that she thought about it. Now, she was enlisted in one of the most renowned Academies in this universe, whereas her sister was still likely getting her PHD. Then again, she doubted her parents would ever approve of any choices she made.

"I take it your parents were never around?" Jim eyed her curiously, not having heard the whole story.

She'd told Leonard bits and pieces of it, but even he hadn't heard the whole story of how her parents had always favored her sister over the years. Her sister was always the obedient one who would follow the rules. Sarah Hayes never once questioned whether what she was doing was wrong or not. Whereas Emily would constantly question whether they were doing the right thing, and she would find herself questioning everything.

"Well, for starters, they only seemed to see my sister as the rising star in the family," she rolled her eyes. "They always expected more out of me, and all I could provide for them were 'less than stellar' grades. It didn't help that she kissed up to them by following the rules constantly."

"They sound like wonderful parents," Leonard grumbled with a shake of his head.

"They were fantastic," she rolled her eyes. If her father hadn't wanted her to follow in his footsteps, her mother would have. It was her sister who decided to take over where she had failed, going off to medical school to earn her PHD in science and history. Basically, her sister was living their dreams. "Alright, fess up, farmboy," she nudged Jim playfully. "We all got to share our backstories, now it's your turn."

"Farmboy, huh?" Jim only grinned at that, having heard far worse insults. "Mom was away for most of the time, and I was usually stuck with an asshole excuse for a stepfather."

Emily frowned at that. When Leonard had explained that his divorce had ended in miserable failure over an abusive ex-wife, she thought that was bad enough. She suspected there was more to Jim's story than he was letting on, but she didn't press any further. Something in the back of her mind told her that wouldn't end well. Jim always seemed to tense up whenever his past was brought up, but for now, he seemed okay enough to share at least some of it.

"Alright, so we've all had really crappy parents at some point in our lives," Jim pointed out. Emily tilted her head to one side as she realized he _did_ have a point, there. "Guess that makes us the terrible trio, eh?"

"You wish," Leonard snorted after grabbing a third shot of whiskey.

She couldn't hide the small smirk that followed. The rumors didn't do them any justice, and she did hear enough of them to know that's what other Cadets saw them as. She was more than surprised that Cadets hadn't started any rumors revolving around _her_ , given the circumstances.

"But, in all seriousness, if they were around, would you go _back_ to them?" Jim's question took her by surprise, and Emily found herself staring down at the floor as she gave it some thought.

She hadn't ever thought of whether or not she would go back if given the choice. She had adjusted well enough to life at the Academy. Heck, it was better than not knowing what she wanted to do after graduating college. At least here, she had a purpose in life. A reason to keep moving on in life. The Academy had offered her more than just another chance at life. She realized with a start that she had earned _freedom_ when enlisting in the Academy. Freedom from worrying about her parents, and freedom from worrying about what she would be doing in the near future.

"Honestly, I wouldn't," she decided after thinking it through. "I'm tired of being looked down as if I'm the family disappointment."

"Amen to that, sister." Emily couldn't help but smirk at that as he gave a toast, "To the family outcasts!"

"Yeah, whatever," Leonard muttered.

Though,she could see the look of amusement in his eyes as he rose his glass as well, clanking them together. And truth be told, that was probably one of the best Christmases either of them had ever celebrated.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

"Okay, so you're saying Christmas break was spent at the bar, and the party at the mess hall?" Kayla asked, smirking in amusement as Emily revealed some of the many pictures she had taken with her data PADD during the Christmas party.

After that night in the bar, on Christmas Day, the mess hall had shared its own celebration with the Cadets who couldn't visit their families. She had met Pavel Chekov that way, learning the kid was from Russia and had enlisted in Starfleet at the age of fourteen. Not only was he one of the youngest recruits, but he was also some kind of mathematical wizard. She had to admit, she loved Chekov's sense of humor and that sense of child-like innocence he seemed to have. Then, she had met Nyota Uhura, who apparently was also in Kayla's class, and at the top of xenolinguistics.

Surprisingly, it really had been one of the most memorable Christmas parties she'd attended. Emily never wanted to admit that agreeing to go out with Jim and Leonard had been the best choice she could have made. Her mood had switched from feeling hopelessly lost and depressed to happy within a matter of hours as they talked about their pasts and previous Christmas's.

"Yeah. It was actually one of the best Christmas breaks I've had in a long time," she admitted with a shrug.

"I'd imagine," Kayla grinned. "Wait, is that Pavel Chekov?"

She almost burst out laughing when she caught hold of the pictures Emily had taken with her data PADD. She couldn't resist taking a picture of Pavel trying to explain a difficult mathematical equation to Hikaru Sulu, another Cadet who had been at the party. The poor man's face was full of confusion, mostly because it was difficult to understand what Pavel was explaining when he talked too fast.

"Yeah, he and Sulu were there that day," she explained. "Remember that Asian guy from combat practice?"

Kayla's grin turned to a frown as she remembered all-too-well what had happened at combat practice. Sulu had been Emily's sparring partner at the time, and she had beaten him with surprising strength. Ever since that incident, they had earned each other's respect.

"Well, I'm glad you were able to have some fun," Kayla rolled her eyes once she switched the data PADD off. "And, you have two boys trailing after you, now," she laughed.

"God, you're seriously going there?" Emily groaned and threw her back on the bed. "We're _friends_ , nothing more, nothing less."

"Sure you are," Kayla rolled her eyes. "I've seen the way you eye McCoy. And the way he looks at you. It's obvious he's trying and failing miserably to hide his feelings for you."

She only rolled her eyes at that. There was no way in hell she was ready for any kind of relationship. At least not in the way Kayla suggested. She was only just beginning to adjust to life in this universe. Besides, she doubted Leonard was in any hurry to jump into anything that was out of his comfort zone. She didn't plan on pushing him any further than she already had, and the feelings were mutual.

"How was Christmas for you?" she asked, hoping to change the subject as she sat up.

"Great," Kayla replied with a grin. "Mom and dad had the whole family over this time. Usually, it's just the three of us."

 _Must be nice_. She tried brushing the bitter thought aside, knowing full well it wasn't fair for her to blame Kayla for her misery. Kayla was lucky to have a family that cared for her. Heck, her family actually encouraged her for enlisting in Starfleet. They supported her choices and encouraged them, which was something Emily never had the pleasure of feeling.

"Em, you okay?" Kayla frowned when she noticed something was wrong. Emily closed her eyes and tried to picture her family. But, as she did, she could only see what looked like an empty void. "Emily, what's wrong?"

Kayla's voice became more frantic, and, when Emily finally opened her eyes, she saw her friend looking more concerned than ever.

"Nothing," she reassured her with a fake smile, "I'll be fine, I promise."

"Right, of course you will be," Kayla rolled her eyes as the two of them got ready for bed.

She knew that something was wrong. She should have noticed long before that conversation that something was wrong, but she hadn't had the heart to point it out. And, something told her that she would regret that decision.

…

Sleep didn't come easily for her that night. She was used to waking up from nightmares, but this one was different from the others, more painful.

Her senses were going haywire, at the moment. The room she was being held in was dimly lit. But, the musky odor and dampness told her that she was in a dungeon of some kind. As she tried looking around when her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw that she was surrounded.

Figures, dressed in cloaks, surrounded her. Their faces were shrouded in darkness. It took everything she had not to scream out in panic as one of the figures moved towards her. The shadowy mist trailing behind the figure was what really freaked her out. They looked like some kind of demon-figure, like the ones from so many horror movies she had seen.

As she tried struggling to sit up, to move, she realized that metal cuffs were digging into her wrists and ankles, holding her down to prevent escape.

"T'Mhal will be pleased with this one," one of the cloaked figures spoke, their voice deep and husky. "She has fire in her."

"Good," the figure standing beside the first one replied. "The others were not so lucky."

 _Others_? Her eyes widened with terror as she realized they saw her as some kind of experiment. The cloaked figure that had moved towards her took hold of her hand, and it took everything she had not to scream out when she realized it was nothing more than a bony hand clasping hers.

"Such a spirited little human," the figure sneered. "That will serve you well, for what we have planned." There was a pause, and a shuffling noise as the figures moved about. "For this procedure to work, you must be awake. The pain will tell us whether it is successful or not."

"W-What are you planning to do with me?" she asked fearfully, hating how her voice came out in a squeak.

"We are giving you a chance," the first figure who spoke replied, "A chance at a new life… a better life."

She felt her body tense the moment the lights began to dim just a little more. "Relax, the pain will only feel worse if you are tense," the figure standing beside her growled.

Her teeth ground together as a fiery wave of pain erupted within her body. It felt like thousands of needles were pricking at her skin, tearing her apart piece by piece. This was like nothing she had felt before. The intensity felt as if it would last forever, and her vision began to blur within seconds.

The figures were still speaking to one another in low whispers. For all she knew, they were probably laughing at the pain. They probably enjoyed watching their victims writhe on the exam table, until the pain subsided.

"… Vulcan will not know what we have done," she overheard one of the figures snarl. "Their mind-meld tricks can only reach so many."

Vulcan… why did that sound so familiar? Her mind was trying to wrap around the terms these strange figures were using as the pain slowly began to ebb away, replaced with something far worse. Her heart was throbbing, and the pounding in the back of her head couldn't prepare her for what happened next.

"Subject is still alive; they show signs of already adjusting to this world, and they are ready for transport." She felt her blood pulse with dread at the ominous way the figure had spoken. "Prepare for transport."

At that point, her vision began to blur again. The figures had started moving around her, surrounding her until she was shrouded in darkness. Black spots appeared along her vision when she had finally passed out.

…

Kayla could only watch on in horror as she continued thrashing in her bed. She had tried every trick in the book to wake her roommate, but nothing seemed to work. It was hard to tell whether she was having a seizure, or if this was another nightmare. Whatever the cause, nothing had prepared her in any this. She was forced to call in an expert, the only other person who might be able to figure out what was wrong.

A knock sounded on the door, making her jump, before she raced over and answered. She wasn't surprised to find a disheveled looking Doctor McCoy glaring at her. After hearing the numerous rumors that spread around the doctor, she wasn't in any hurry to reach out to him.

"I'm sorry, I would've taken her myself, but…" Kayla peered over her shoulder to where her roommate still hadn't woken up, and by now, she was crying out in her sleep. "I've tried everything, and nothing seems to work."

She resented having to call in McCoy for help. Yes, the guy had his Southern charm, but the rumors didn't help him much. But, the moment McCoy stepped inside their dorm was when she saw him put on a professional stance.

Kayla watched carefully as he knelt down and gently took hold of Emily's hand. For all the bad rep he seemed to get in the hospital, he was nothing like what the rumors had claimed. She frowned as she realized this was a different side of McCoy, the side of him that few people were lucky to see.

"Dammit, Emily, you're gonna be the death of me," he muttered as she began to relax from his touch.

"Will she be okay?" she asked warily, noticing that it _seemed_ safe to talk.

"It's hard to tell," McCoy frowned, still kneeling beside her, still holding her hand as she finally stopped thrashing and looked more peaceful than ever sleeping. "How long has she been waking up like this?"

"Usually, it's not this bad," Kayla admitted guiltily, knowing she should have reported it the moment Emily had woken from her first nightmare. "She usually forgets what happened the next morning."

His frown only deepened. Kayla chewed the bottom of her lip when she understood that this should have really, _really_ been reported the moment it happened. But, she had promised Emily she wouldn't, unless it got to this point.

Something wasn't right. Kayla should have known the signs when she saw them the first night she had woken up from these night terrors. But really, how was she supposed to know they would get this bad? Emily rarely talked about her nightmares to begin with. Kayla had known all along that something was wrong; people didn't normally suffer from the night terrors Emily did.

"Son of a bitch!" Kayla flinched when he suddenly swore after minutes of awkward silence followed.

"Leonard, what the hell are you doing in here?"

Her eyes widened in utter shock when she realized Emily must have punched the poor man out of sheer instinct. She suspected that he was already beginning to regret answering her urgent call while he tried hiding the pain that followed.

"Emily, I called him," Kayla sighed with a shake of her head. She would have laughed at the glare McCoy was giving her, and Emily, if it wasn't for the situation. "You were screaming in your sleep, and thrashing. Nothing I did could wake you."

Emily frowned as she looked between McCoy and Kayla, before holding her hands over her mouth as she realized what had happened.

"God, Leonard, I'm—"

"It's fine," McCoy sighed, though Kayla could see that he was wincing from the impact of her fist. Clearly, Emily had a harder punch than everyone first thought. "Just a natural reaction."

"So, Doctor, what's your prognosis?" Kayla asked with a smirk, earning a glare from them both.

"I want you to stop by medical after your classes are done," McCoy told her.

He didn't say much else, just shot Kayla another glare before leaving the room and muttering under his breath about women and their temper. By now, Kayla was struggling to hold back her fit of laughter as Emily scowled at her.

"What the hell was he doing here, really?" she demanded once he was gone and the door closed.

"Look, I really couldn't do anything to wake you," Kayla explained after sitting down across from her. "I knew McCoy would most likely know what to do. Plus, he'd answer the call faster knowing it was you. Looks like it worked."

Emily let out a sigh as she buried her face in her hands. Kayla just watched in amusement. After the way McCoy handled the situation like any other professional, she knew now that the feelings were clearly mutual. Most people would have written a report on bodily injuries they suffered from, but something told her that wasn't going to happen this time.

"God, he's never going to let me live that down," she muttered crossly.

"Something tells me he already forgives you," Kayla reassured her with a smile. She wasn't even sure how McCoy had done it, but, he did work wonders. "All he had to do was hold your hand."

Kayla's smile turned to a smirk when Emily blushed at that. There was definitely something going on between the two. Whether they wanted to admit it or not, Kayla didn't care. People didn't usually react that way towards each other unless there was some mutual respect for the other, or unless they cared for each other.

"I'm going back to sleep," Emily groaned as she threw herself back against her pillow.

"Em, are you sure you'll be fine?" Kayla asked worriedly. "I really don't wanna have to call him in again."

Dealing with him once was bad enough. Dealing with him twice, and losing sleep over it would drive her crazy.

"I'll be fine, Kayla," she reassured her.

Kayla breathed out a sigh of relief, knowing it would go against her better judgement, but happy to finally get some sleep. They had enough classes to worry about tomorrow without having to worry about a lack of sleep.

* * *

 **AN: I figured for someone who suffered from post-traumatic stress, she would have nightmares. And T'Mhal will be making an appearance much later into the story, after the first two movies :) Big thanks to Howling2themoon for reviewing, and no worries, I'm just thankful you review at all! :D**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

" _They say that life is a race I know my problems'll probably catch up eventually, I do my best to be calm._.." - Therapy Session, NF

* * *

Breathe in, breathe out.

It should have been simple enough. Just standing in front of the medical center wasn't going to get her anywhere. Cadets were walking past, giving her strange looks. Not that that usually didn't happen. By now, she had gotten used to the way people looked at her as if she was some kind of foreign object. Which, in their case, she technically was.

She was still shaken after that nightmare. Vivid images were still fresh on her mind of the cloaked figures, doing things that violated everything she once believed in. She could still picture the way those cuffs dug painfully into her wrists when she tried escaping from their restraints. The creatures that had attacked her didn't seem to care whether or not they were inflicting more damage throughout their procedures. They just expected her to deal with the unbearable pain that would follow.

The worst part was being awake throughout the whole procedure, as they had called it. She remembered the pain, the way they spoke in a cold, toneless voice. They had reassured her that this was necessary to fit in. To move on and forget the past world, and so that she could adjust to this one. It had been the same dream, over and over for months, until this one. This particular dream seemed to affect her the most.

She could hardly recall what happened prior to waking up in that dungeon. That was what terrified her the most. Those cloaked figures, whoever they were, could always come back for her. She was afraid of something like that happening again. She was afraid of what they would do once they took her back, and they would eventually continue running their 'experiments' on her. The thought sent a shiver of dread through her. She had kept telling herself that she would never let them take advantage of her like that again. But, she knew she was only kidding herself for so long.

Taking another deep breath, she finally stepped inside the medical center. Nurses, doctors and Cadets were running to and from their stations. She'd stopped by more than enough times to know where to find Leonard. By now, the staff at the front desk had also gotten used to her visits, rolling their eyes as she passed them without a word. Once she had reached the hallway leading to his office, she could hear Jim's voice ringing through the hallway. She stiffened and realized that Jim used visiting the medical center as an excuse to annoy Leonard whenever he had the chance.

"What happened to your nose?"

She winced at that, knowing full well what had happened to Leonard's nose. Of course she would have punched him, when he was only trying to help. Of course, she would have only made the situation worse by reacting that way. She knew that she had only been following her instincts. When she felt someone shake her awake, she'd reacted by punching whatever invisible force had caused the shaking. Unfortunately, Leonard happened to be the one standing in her way at the time.

"Bar incident." Rolling her eyes at the fact that he was covering for her once _again_ , she approached the room cautiously. "Jim, don't you have some class to attend?"

"Not for another hour." She could almost hear the smirk in Jim's voice. She had already guessed that he was bored and this was his way of getting his daily dose of entertainment from poor Leonard. "So, whatdya think of Hayes?"

She stiffened at the mention of her name, and stopped dead in her tracks. Why the hell would he bring her name up? She knew what Jim was like. For someone who couldn't keep a woman in his life, he sure seemed to bounce right back and think of someone new. And of course, he would find some way of dragging her into the conversation. There were times when she wanted to throttle Jim for doing so. She knew he meant well, but his antics often got the better of her.

"Jim, I've got better things to think about than women," Leonard grumbled, though the pause suggested he'd thought it through.

"Come on, Bones, be honest."

Emily closed her eyes and shook her head at the nickname Jim had chosen. From what she gathered, Leonard hated that nickname. But, for Jim, it stuck with him, and it seemed that only he was the only one who called him that. A sigh of frustration followed. If there was one thing she had learned about Jim over the last few months, it was his persistence. He'd learned the hard way though, that persistence would leave him with a black eye.

"Okay, maybe I _do_ find her interesting. If anything, she sure as hell put you in your place."

For a moment, Emily wasn't sure what to think of that kind of response, but she couldn't hide the sheepish grin that followed. Of course, he would have found Jim's punishment well-deserved.

"So, why not ask her out on a date?" Jim asked. "Because if she can put me in my place, she's definitely not my type."

She only rolled her eyes at that, though she knew for a fact that he was right.

"Why are you so suddenly interested in my love life?" Leonard demanded after another long pause.

"Bones, you've got a thing for her. I know that look, and you've got it bad."

At that moment, Emily almost felt her legs give out underneath her. She couldn't bring herself to stop the conversation that was slowly turning from bad to worse. Kayla had been right, and she couldn't deny it. But, there was nothing 'serious' going on between them. Not as far as she was aware. And the intensity in Leonard's tone as he spoke again only confirmed it.

"Get. Out. Now."

That was enough for Jim to scurry out of the office before he made things any more awkward. Emily hid in the nearest closet until she was sure he'd gone. Last thing she wanted was for Kirk to see that she'd been listening in on their conversation, or get dragged into it, especially after _that_ reaction. She waited for a few minutes until finally emerging from the closet, relieved to find the hallway empty once more.

Once she took another deep breath, she finally reached the office.

"Doctor McCoy." She couldn't help but flinch when he looked up in surprise. The Band-Aid on the nose was what had really made her flinch. Clearly, it was more than just a bruise. "You wanted to see me?"

"Why the formality?" He narrowed his eyes, watching her curiously, gesturing for her to take a seat.

"You didn't file a report," she replied with a shrug. Leonard rose an eyebrow at that. "Last night, breaking your nose. Couldn't have been easy hiding that."

"No need to remind me," he muttered with a shake of his head. "Painkillers work wonders."

"So it would seem." She smirked, their eyes locking for just a brief moment before she finally looked down. "About last night, I… I really don't have any explanation for what happened. They usually aren't _that_ bad."

Okay, maybe she was toning it down a bit, but the last thing she needed was a therapist talking to her. And, she was sure that was exactly what he would request if he knew something was wrong. She couldn't bring herself to admit that whatever those bastards did to her had caused those night terrors. Explaining that to someone who would never understand wouldn't help matters. If anything, they would only think she'd gone mad and look for a list of excuses to use on her.

"Looked to me like that was more than just 'not that bad'," he scoffed. "You were screaming in your sleep." He paused for a brief moment before looking at her seriously. "You mind explaining to me what's really going on? And where those _scars_ came from?"

Emily flinched at that. She had hoped no one would notice. The nurse at the hospital in Riverside, Iowa had warned her that the injuries would scar over. Once again, her mind wandered back to those cloaked figures, who could have passed for some satanic beings.

A shudder ran through her at the mental images they left. She wasn't even sure if anyone would have believed her if she told them the truth. She'd tried looking into stories about people being taken from their worlds and sent to this one. But of course, those searches usually ended in miserable failure.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," she admitted, knowing that much was at least true.

"Darlin', after everything I've seen, I'll take the chance."

Curse that southern charm that always seemed to draw her in. Leonard knew exactly how to get under her skin, and this ploy was no different. With a roll of eyes, she closed the door behind her to make sure no one listened in. He rose an eyebrow after realizing that this was deadly serious if she wanted no one else to know.

"Alright, but you have to swear this conversation doesn't leave this office," she snapped. "Not even Jim can know." One nod of agreement was all it took. Taking yet another deep breath, she went straight to the point. "I'm not exactly from here. This world, I mean." She paused to let this sink in, and, to her surprise, Leonard didn't look the least bit surprised. "I was a college graduate student in New York University. The professor in my class was ranting on about alternate universes, and the possibilities of someone wandering into one by mistake."

Technically, she didn't wander here willingly.

"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me," he remarked dryly. Emily nearly rolled her eyes at his tactless response. "You were damn-near overwhelmed that morning we arrived at the Academy. Not to mention what Kirk said about the data PADD incident." Emily had to bite back a retort when he mentioned her lack of knowledge on this world's technology. Jim never did let her live that one down. "That still doesn't explain where the scars came from."

"Well, that's the complicated part," she sighed after flinching once again. "When I woke up in the hospital in Iowa, the nurse said I was covered in injuries, fresh and old. Said she'd never seen anything like it. I was out cold for nearly three weeks. And… it wasn't until after classes started that the nightmares began."

A shudder ran through her as she recalled those cloaked figures, their bony, skeletal hands, and the dark mist that trailed after them as they moved. After she had described the figures with full, vivid detail, she was shaking with an overwhelming sense of dread. She wasn't willing to explain the full detail of what they did. Not yet, at least. Knowing what they looked like might at least provide some information on what they had done, even if it wasn't much to go off of.

The worst was not even knowing what the hell they were. Something in the back of her mind told her that they would never be found in the database. Creatures that had been running experiments on humans from another world weren't likely going to reveal themselves anytime soon. Besides, it sounded far too crazy even in her mind to accept that they existed.

She was afraid of looking up. By the time she did, she flinched for a third time.

"Does anyone else know about this?" he demanded after a few minutes of awkward silence followed.

Emily thought back quickly to the people she had spoken to about it. Really, only two people knew the truth, and even they had very vague ideas as to how she had arrived in this world. She had been afraid of admitting the truth. A small part of her wanted to believe that it hadn't happened. But she knew she was only fooling herself.

"Only Admiral Marcus and Captain Pike," she explained. "But, even they don't know the whole story."

Leonard frowned at that, and Emily let out a sigh, knowing that sooner or later, more people would find out the truth behind her existence in this world. Maybe, it was better that she told them now than later. Yet, there was still that spark of fear they wouldn't believe her. Leonard had taken it surprisingly well, but he was better at hiding his emotions than most people.

"So, whoever sent you here is responsible for those scars, and your nightmares," he concluded. She nodded, and he shook his head, letting out a sigh of exasperation. "And you were taken without content."

Again, she nodded. She suddenly felt self-conscious for having told him in the first place. It seemed almost like a relief to have told someone the truth. Yet, she was also terrified that Leonard would either see her story as nothing more than a false tale, or he would file some kind of report for lying.

"I don't remember much of what those… _things_ said, but I do remember them mentioning Vulcans," she added carefully. "They mentioned the 'procedure' would prevent a Vulcan from mind-melding… or whatever crap that's supposed to mean."

She added the last part with a shrug. After taking a few classes at the Academy, she quickly learned that Vulcans were touch telepaths. They had a unique trait that led them to mind-melding, or sharing a telepathic link. She finally understood what those assholes meant by figuring out a way to block Vulcans from melding with her mind. Though, Emily wasn't sure if she would have been happy with the idea of letting someone inside her head.

"Well, isn't that convenient?" Rolling his eyes and standing up, Emily was sure that he'd call bull on her story. She knew it seemed like the reasonable thing to do. Really, it made sense that anyone would refuse to believe such a fantasy-ridden story. For what felt like the umpteenth time that day, she took a deep breath when he reached her. She stood up so that she was facing him, bracing herself for whatever happened next. "You are an enigma," he muttered before suddenly wrapping his arms around her in a hug.

"You really believe me?" she asked in disbelief as she buried her face in his chest, happy to return the gesture.

After all the hell she'd seen from that nightmare, having some form of comfort was desperately needed. She didn't realize until that moment how much of a relief it was to know that someone else she was close to know the truth. And while he was anything but happy with the realization that she wasn't from this world, he at least accepted it and was willing to provide some form of comfort.

It only just dawned on her how much she relished the warmth and the comfort that McCoy provided. Her heart was racing for a whole different reason when she tried pushing the uneasy thoughts surging through her. The only reason they were this close in the first place was because they had been getting to know one another. She had to keep reminding herself that they would never be anything more than friends and colleagues.

"I may not be a therapist, or a genius, but I _do_ know when someone's telling the truth," he reassured her.

She finally breathed out a sigh of relief, feeling as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. In that moment, it didn't matter whether they were from different worlds. Someone who seemed to understand what she was going through, and cared about her enough to know when something was wrong, was all she needed.

…

Once she had left and promised to get some actual sleep tonight, McCoy sank back into his seat and stared at the ceiling for a good five minutes. Her story about strange beings running procedures suddenly all made sense. Between the nightmares and the scars, it was obvious that whatever had done this did a number on her. What bothered him the most was that she had literally been torn from everything she knew. Yet, she hadn't made any mention of that.

He was willing to admit that he'd grown fond of her over the last few months. She wasn't like the other Cadets, who backed off the moment they saw him approaching. No, she had a temper that could easily outmatch his. Yes, she was easy on the eye, and yes, he did find her attractive. But, he wasn't ready for that kind of commitment.

Whatever the case, it surprised him that the nurse at the hospital in Iowa hadn't treated this more seriously. If someone had found her outside the hospital with those kind of injuries, then there should have been a report filed. Something wasn't adding up. And he had a feeling that their lack of knowledge over this story was going to bite them in the ass later down the road.

* * *

 **AN: Whelp, at least one of 'em knows the truth. And took it better than expected. As far as chapters go, I'm hoping this isn't too bad ^^ I also just realized that I marked chapter nine wrong... I should probably go back and fix that Oo  
**

 **TheMamaBear - Neither of them can seem to catch a break, can they? As for Bones' reaction to a swinging punch, I'm sure his reflexes will help him in the long-run :P**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

 **Warning: Mentions of abuse and post-traumatic stress. Nothing big, but I thought I'd post this just in case.**

* * *

"So, I take it your talk went well?" Kayla asked as they sat in their room.

"Something along those lines."

Emily looked down at the floor, her heart racing with unease as she recalled that conversation. Something in the back of her mind kept telling her that he wouldn't believe her. That the story just wouldn't add up. She closed her eyes at the thought. She suddenly wished that Kayla had never called him in the first place. It would have made everyone's lives easier if she was able to maintain the secret of where she was from.

 _I shouldn't have told him in the first place_ … _Now he's never going to see me the same way again_ , she thought bitterly, resting on her bed as she realized the mistake she'd made. Captain Pike and Admiral Marcus had bought the story, but even they didn't know the full details. She hadn't felt the urge to tell them just how long those things had kept her in that dungeon, or how long their experiments would run. The whole experience had been traumatic to say the least.

A shiver ran through her as she self-consciously reached for the scars that ran along her arms. When she had spoken with Nurse Hallie, the woman had explained that she had looked as if someone had ripped her apart and sown her back together. She winced at the thought, realizing the sight must have been horrific for anyone to witness. She was suddenly thankful that Nurse Hallie and the citizen that brought her in were the only ones who saw her before she managed to fully recover from her injuries.

"Emily, are you sure you're okay?" Kayla asked, concerned as she noticed that her roommate hadn't said a thing since returning to their dorm.

She was normally vocal about their classes and everything she had learned about this world. Today however, was different. She wasn't in any mood to talk about how miserably her day had ended. She hadn't seen Leonard since they parted ways from the medical center. That had been nearly nine hours ago.

Her mind was still trying to wrap itself over the fact that she had explained everything to Leonard. She wasn't sure whether or not it was safe for someone else to know the truth. While she trusted him far more than she would ever trust Jim, a small part of her still worried that those creatures might come back. And if someone else knew about them, there was always a possibility that the same creatures that took her could take them as well.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she brushed it off as if nothing had happened.

Kayla frowned at that, knowing full well that something was clearly bothering her. Luckily, she didn't press.

She closed her eyes as memories of the world she was taken away from suddenly came rushing back. Memories of her family, of Julia and her life as a college student flooded back as little more than images. She had lost more than anyone would ever know.

In a sense, it was almost a relief knowing that her parents were no longer scrutinizing her every decision. And yet, they _were_ her family. As much as she tried to deny how much she didn't miss them, she knew it wasn't entirely true. Kayla had no idea just how lucky she was to have family that cared and supported her choices.

She never wanted to wish this kind of life upon anyone. Being torn away from everything she knew had been overwhelming enough. She felt guilty for knowing that she had abandoned everyone she knew. While her parents would more than likely move on, that didn't stop her from wishing she could return and change the way things had been between them.

"Hey, if you ever feel like you need to talk to someone, you can always ask me," Kayla offered when Emily's eyes finally opened again. She looked at her roommate in surprise as Kayla merely shrugged. "I know that whatever happened to you couldn't have been easy, especially if you're keeping it a secret from everyone else."

 _She's only worried I'll have another nightmare_ , Emily realized after noticing the concern in her eyes. It was strange, knowing that someone actually cared enough to feel concerned over the fact that she was losing sleep.

Guilt gnawed at her stomach as she glanced at Kayla self-consciously. She probably should have sought professional help when she woke up that first night from a nightmare. But the fear of how anyone who found out would react kept rushing back.

"Thanks, Kayla," she sighed, feeling both fatigued and confused over the notion. She was so used to looking out for herself that letting someone else do so felt alien in itself. Kayla just looked her up and down with that same frown when Emily tried pushing her away once more, "I think I'll be fine."

Kayla didn't seem reassured by that response, but she didn't bother arguing after realizing Emily wouldn't go into further detail. Once the two girls had drifted off to sleep, that was when the real nightmare began.

…

"Dear, I appreciate the efforts, but you aren't nearly as gifted as your sister."

Emily blinked in disbelief as her mother brushed off any attempts at helping with the project she was currently working on. She had only been home from boarding school for a week now, and her mother was constantly comparing her to her sister. By now, she had gotten used to being pushed aside as if she didn't exist. But that didn't stop her from trying to worm her way into their lives.

"Mom, I know what you're working on, I can—"

"Leave your mother alone, Emily," her father blatantly rebuked her, frowning as he caught the look in her eyes. "She's right. If your grades start improving, then maybe we can allow you to work on these projects."

She only glared at them in response, realizing that no matter how much her grades improved, they would never approve of _her_. With a sigh of frustration, she threw her arms up and stormed up the stairs and into her room.

It was always like this. Her grades had always been considered 'less-than-stellar' compared to her sisters, who happened to be at the top of her class at a prestigious academy. Emily glanced out the window of their two-story apartment, knowing that her life would never get any better if she didn't do something about it.

"Well, if it isn't the family disappointment."

Emily scowled at the sound of her sister's voice. She looked up to see Sarah smirking down at her. If ever there was a more annoying pest than the kids that Emily shared boarding school with, it was her sister.

The two of them had never gotten along, and Sarah always seemed to go out of her way to make her life miserable. Sarah was only three years older than her, and she sure as hell reminded Emily of that on a daily basis when they were home. Her hair was a darker shade of blond, with pretty blue eyes that could melt the heart of anyone she came across.

"Go away," Emily grumbled, burying her face in a pillow as she tried to ignore her sister's jibes.

"What? And miss the perfect opportunity to see you fail, again?" Sarah sneered, grinning when Emily threw the pillow in her direction. "Admit it – you'll never amount to anything."

"You're wrong," she retorted. "I may not be a straight A student like you, but that means shit to me."

Sarah only grinned at that, clearly enjoying her sister's misery.

"And here I thought they wouldn't teach you kids how to swear at boarding schools," she shook her head mockingly, tsking her tongue for good measure. "You know, it's no wonder mother and father always send you off to boarding school. They're too embarrassed to admit you're their daughter."

That stung. Sarah's smirk widened as she saw Emily cringe at that. She always seemed to know how to get under her skin at the worst time. Emily finally sat up and glowered at her, eyes like chips of ice as Sarah feigned innocence.

"I'm amazed they haven't put you up for adoption yet," she went on, ignoring the fact that she was probably putting her own life in danger. "I mean, doing so would do them and myself a favor. I for one am embarrassed by—"

"Shut up!" Emily shouted, cutting her off. Sarah blinked in surprise at the ferocity in her voice, clearly taken aback by her reaction. "Just shut up, and go to hell!"

For a moment, Sarah was too stunned to say anything. Her lips pursed as she looked at Emily serious, before finally leaving. It wasn't until she felt something shake her shoulders that she blinked a few times, until the room had begun to change to a familiar scene. She blinked once again to find Kayla staring at her in alarm.

"Emily, what the hell happened?" she demanded after sighing in relief.

"I-I don't know," she admitted, her voice shaken as she looked around frantically.

They were back in the dorm, only Emily found the place a mess. Kayla took a step back and glanced around too, her eyes widening in alarm as she realized just how much of a mess was made. She swallowed hard, grimacing at the thought.

"I heard shouting, and things being thrown around the room until realizing it was you," Kayla explained in an accusing tone. "What the hell were you dreaming about this time?"

Emily's face paled for a moment as she recalled that dream. She suddenly found herself back in the apartment, yelling at her sister to leave her alone as she was tormented again and again. Then, the scenery around her began to change again.

"Do you have a name, human?" Those damned cloaked figures again. Her heart was racing with dread as she found herself strapped to the table again. She refused to answer, until feeling a bony hand squeeze her shoulder, hard. "I would answer the question, unless you want the pain to feel even worse."

She knew they weren't lying. These creatures, whoever the hell they were, had relentlessly experimented on her. They had said the procedure would only work if she was still awake throughout the torture. And, torture it was. She could still remember that first day, waking up on the stone table and feeling the needles pierce her skin, slicing her open as she screamed and begged for them to stop.

"Emily Hayes," she relented, loathing the fact that these creatures felt it necessary to cause any harm in the first place. How long had it been since she was kept in this hellhole? It felt like years had gone by with little to no sunlight. That was probably the worst part of this whole ordeal. Not seeing the sun for days on end, not knowing whether or not she would live when they were finished. That was what terrified her the most, knowing that one wrong move could kill her. "Why can't you let me go?"

"We are not finished with you, yet, human," the creature responded with that same voice that sounded like nails on a chalk board.

…

Kayla's heart was pounding with fear as she realized that something was seriously wrong with her roommate. After managing to wake her up from one nightmare, it was almost like Emily had slipped off into another one. She was huddled in the corner of the room in a fetal position, arms wrapped around her legs and eyes wild with terror as if she didn't recognize where she was. There weren't any other options other than calling someone who had already experienced this first-hand.

She scowled at the thought after having made the call. Two damn nights in a row was almost too much for her. Luck never seemed to be on her side as a knock sounded on the door just minutes after she'd made the call. She wondered how long the response time would have been had she called anyone else on the matter.

"Look, this is worse than I thought," she sighed after letting him in. McCoy only scowled at her before noticing how much of a mess their room was. "She's over there."

His characteristic scowl suddenly turned to a look that few people probably saw. Concern. Kayla could only watch on as he reached the corner, kneeling down so that he was eye-level with Emily. Her eyes were still wild with fear, showing signs that she didn't even know anyone was there.

"Come on, Emily, you need to wake up," the Doctor sighed, his voice unusually soft as he reached out for her hand. She kept muttering something under her breath, too quiet for Kayla to hear, but McCoy heard it loud and clear. He let out another sigh before suddenly wrapping his arms around Emily in a hug. Kayla's eyes widened in disbelief as Emily began to relax in the firm embrace. "No one's gonna hurt you," he reassured her as she buried her face into his chest.

"Well, this is awkward," Kayla whispered.

She kept her voice quiet as she realized that whatever had effected Emily seemed to vanish the minute McCoy arrived. That was enough for her to nearly roll her eyes. What was it about the doctor that had calmed her down so much?

"Yeah, no kidding," McCoy nodded in agreement.

Kayla rose an eyebrow when she noticed that he didn't seem to mind. In fact, he looked relieved that _something_ had worked.

She frowned when she realized that the moment he left, the nightmares could return. For whatever reason, Emily felt safe with McCoy. Kayla didn't even want to know how that had happened, but if it worked, then she needed to suck it up and act like the friend she was supposed to be. They both needed sleep, and neither of them were going to get much sleep if Emily continued suffering from said nightmares.

"Look, I may not be a professional doctor, but uh… it seems to me like you're the only one she trusts," she began, fuming over the fact that it needed to be said in the first place, "And as both a friend and roommate, I think it might be best for you to stay, in case this happens again."

She braced herself for whatever valid argument McCoy might come up with. It sounded ridiculous when she said it out loud, yet she knew that it was true. But, to her surprise, McCoy actually seemed to think it through instead of snapping at her. His expression was impossible to make out as she tried figuring out what was on his mind at the moment. The doctor was impossible to get a vibe on, and Kayla had to hold back a sigh of irritation at that.

"Sounds like neither of us really have much of a choice," he remarked.

Though, he kept his voice oddly quiet as he was able to move Emily back to her bed as she fell asleep cradled in his arms. Kayla would have found the whole thing sickeningly cute, if it wasn't for the fact that she couldn't bring herself to trust McCoy as far as she could throw him.

"Alright," Kayla sighed once she realized that rules would need to be put into place, "But, under no circumstances is this conversation, or this night leaving the dorm. She's gonna kill me the moment she finds out I let you stay for the night."

McCoy almost smirked at that, having already felt the wrath of Emily on more than one occasion. She had a fiery temper almost as bad as his own. Kayla had learned from experience that it was best not to piss off her roommate, under any circumstances.

Neither of them had gotten much sleep that night, as McCoy had opted to sleep on the floor, and Kayla was just really, _really_ uncomfortable with the idea. She knew they could suffer severe consequences for having another Cadet in the dorm. That was, if they were caught by security.

Luckily, the rest of the night had gone off without a hitch. In fact, Emily had finally gotten a decent night's sleep, the first in weeks. McCoy had left early in the morning before she woke up, and neither of them had spoken a word of the incident ever since. However, it was the first time that Kayla had found respect for the doctor, and for everything he seemed to put up with on a daily basis.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

" _Am I lost inside my mind? There's an emerald in the sky, I hear the river say your name By the stars above, I know we were in love I hear the river say your name, I have only 'til the night is over_..." - When the Night is Over, Lord Huron

* * *

Emily took a deep breath as she reached the building where Captain Pike's office was located. She wasn't sure why she was so damn nervous. The Captain had simply requested he speak with her before the beginning of the new semester. Yet, that didn't resolve the uneasiness she felt. Something in the back of her mind kept nagging at her that she had done something wrong. Whatever the case behind this request, she didn't want to look like a fumbling mess. After her conversation with Leonard the other day, she probably did.

She tried to ease the nerves that had already begun fraying her since that morning began. The message Captain Pike left on her data PADD was what had taken her by surprise. Her mind was already spinning with a dozen excuses as to why he would call her to his office. She suddenly felt like a student being scolded by the Principal.

"At ease, Cadet," Captain Pike greeted her once she had arrived, trying to maintain whatever dignity she had left. "Have a seat, please." She did just that as she braced herself the worst possible news. "There's no need to look so nervous, Cadet."

She blinked at that, then she finally the faintest nods. She forced herself to try and relax while Pike sifted through the notes on his data PADD. It was unnerving to know that he could look anything up on that data PADD, only to find nothing on her history. The only history he had was what she had explained to him.

"I'm sorry, sir," she blurted out, grinding her teeth at the forced curtness. "Is there a reason you wanted to see me?"

Pike gave a nod and tapped on the data PADD on his desk. Emily swallowed back the nervousness that was threatening to overwhelm her.

"Opted out of almost all your classes, including History of the Federation. Overall, your scores are the highest right next to Kirk."

Emily quirked an eyebrow in surprise at that. She hadn't expected to test nearly as high as Jim, given how smart the guy really was. He'd never admit it, though. For all everyone knew at the Academy, Jim had a reputation as a rebel to keep.

"And, I'm guessing that's why you've asked me in?"

"I wanted to check in and see how you were coping, actually," Pike answered, not looking the least bit surprised by her question.

That made her shift uneasily in her seat. It had been a couple of months since they actually saw one another in person. Pike had given the option to let her take a few classes for the next four months before deciding what field she would officially enlist in. Since she was so new to this world, she was grateful that he had given her that option. Though, she also knew that he would have wanted to know how she had adjusted to this world. After her first reaction to finding out that she was from a different world, she could understand why he was so concerned.

"I'm fine, sir," she replied with a nod, keeping her voice steady as she understood the double-meaning behind his statement. "The first few weeks were difficult, but my roommate helped me adjust, and…"

She sucked in a breath, not really sure how she would explain that she had become good friends with both Jim and Leonard. Pike seemed to sense her uneasiness, and gave a nod of understanding. She hadn't spoken with him much since the first day of classes, unless it revolved around the lectures that he sometimes took part in. Even then, their meetings were usually brief.

"Have you made any friends?" She almost laughed at that, until realizing he was serious.

"Yes, sir," she sighed after shaking her head.

She had already guessed that whatever rumors Pike had heard were what had likely led to that question. He was probably more concerned over whatever influence Jim had over her decisions, both inside and outside the Academy.

"Well, it sounds as if you've established yourself clearly in the Academy." Was that a smile she saw? Emily blinked in surprise, wondering how the conversation had switched from serious to almost heartfelt. "Have you thought of what field to join?"

"Honestly, I don't know, sir," she admitted with a shrug. "I find all of the classes more exciting than what I'm used to, and I'd be taking more if it wasn't for the lack of time."

Pike looked at her in surprise at that. Though, he really shouldn't have been all that surprised. When he had spoken to her in the hospital, it had sounded as if she'd always wanted more in life than just a boring career after college. Seeing her now, only confirmed what he had seen before.

"How would you like to become a Liaison?" he suggested. Emily looked at him in confusion, until he explained what that meant, "As a Liaison, it means you'll have to take more classes, and you'll have to work harder than any other Cadet, though something tells me you're up to the task. It also means you can work in just about any field, from Engineering, Security, to Medical."

For a moment, Emily wasn't sure what to say at that. It sounded amazing. She didn't want to stick with just one field, especially since there was so much more she could do. She hated sitting still for any period of time. And when she had been taking classes in college, she never knew what field she wanted to graduate in. It had annoyed her parents because she would suddenly switch her degree at the last minute and start taking classes towards another field, only to switch that one and so on.

"I think I'll take you up on that offer," she replied with a smile, knowing that she was more than up to the task.

"Good, I expect your best efforts, Cadet," Pike nodded, pleased with her response.

"I wouldn't expect anything less, sir."

This wasn't just a matter of proving that she was capable of achieving that goal. It meant she was willing to push herself into doing things that would normally make her feel uncomfortable. Whatever was thrown her way, she'd take it in stride. Because, really, what other choice did she have?

…

"You seem more cheerful than usual," Kayla remarked as Emily left the faculty building, joining her in the courtyard seconds later. It was late, with the sun just beginning to set over the horizon. "I take it your talk with the advisor went well?"

"Uh, yeah," Emily replied with a shrug, feeling a bit sheepish as she caught the look in Kayla's eyes. She hadn't known it was Pike who had become her advisor. Or, that he was the reason she had enlisted in Starfleet at all. She preferred to keep that part of her most recent past a secret. "He suggested I become a Liaison, instead of joining any specific field," she explained when Kayla had asked what it was about.

"Wow, that's pretty impressive." For a moment, Emily thought she saw a flicker of jealousy in Kayla's eyes, but it only lasted for a second. "I hope you know what you're getting yourself into. The courses are going to be that much more difficult, and you'll have to work your ass off."

Emily merely rolled her eyes at that, having already known what she was getting herself into. Kayla had been different ever since she had gotten back from Christmas break. Ever since Emily had woken up from that nightmare, and she told Leonard the truth, something about her was different. She knew it wasn't fair to keep pushing Kayla into something she felt so uncomfortable with. It was painfully obvious that she didn't trust Leonard, and truthfully, there were a few other Cadets who felt the same way simply because of his reputation and terrible bedside manner.

"I'll be fine," she brushed off the warning tone in her roommate's voice. Her eyes narrowed as Kayla scoffed under her breath, stopping for just a brief moment. "Kayla, what's wrong?"

"You really don't remember a damn thing, do you?" she snapped, spinning around so that she was facing Emily. Emily only blinked at that, and Kayla rolled her eyes in annoyance. "The night after you spoke with McCoy, you had another blasted nightmare! Scared the hell out of me when you messed up the whole room and started huddling in the corner."

Her eyes widened as she recalled waking up that morning, finding the room a mess. Kayla had never fully explained what had happened, just shrugging it off as if it was nothing. But, clearly, it had bothered her to this point.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, the sudden feeling of unease returning as she realized they were no longer alone.

It wasn't until Kayla had turned to see the familiar face that she clamped her mouth shut, eyes narrowed as she caught the look in Leonard's eyes.

"I don't know how, and I don't know why, but for some reason, you always seem to calm down whenever _he's_ around," she thrust a finger in his direction, ignoring the glare that followed seconds later. "So, whatever the hell is going on, please, figure it out."

She huffed at the last part, not missing the fact that Emily was trying to hide the blush that followed as she stormed past the doctor, who looked equally as furious. For a moment, Emily closed her eyes as she realized what was running through Kayla's mind.

Neither of them said anything for a few seconds, unsure of how to react after Kayla's outburst. She tried to avert her eyes from Leonard's as she understood what Kayla was implying. Her heart raced for a whole different reason as she imagined what had happened that night in their dorm.

"What exactly _did_ happen that night?" she asked hesitantly, not sure if she really wanted to know.

Seeing the look in his eyes told her everything she needed to know. She remembered all too well what had happened the night before, resulting in a disastrous end.

"We need to talk," Leonard cleared his throat after realizing what she was thinking.

…

A knot had formed in the pit of Emily's stomach as they found a more private place to talk. If this conversation was anything like she expected, then she was glad Kayla had left. Because frankly, she would have wrung her out for even giving that night a consideration. Her mind spun with the possibilities of what had happened that night. She realized with a start that Leonard wouldn't have gone to such lengths unless it was someone he _really_ cared about.

She wasn't surprised to find the place immaculately clean. A double bed made up most of the space, with a desk covered in paperwork and files leaning against the wall. The awkward silence that had filled the room only reminded her of where she was. Leonard's dorm. It was definitely safer than returning to her own dorm, at the moment, where Kayla was more than likely plotting her next outburst. Emily blinked at that.

 _She's only acting that way because she cares_ , a small voice in the back of her head told her. And, she was worried that there was something more going on between them.

"Don't you have a roommate?" she asked.

She tried to break the silence that was almost too overwhelming as they sat beside each other on the bed. It was already awkward enough knowing that they'd been forced to talk about what led to that night. She could only imagine how much worse it must have been for Kayla, who was caught in the middle of it.

"The perks of already having a PHD," Leonard replied with the slightest smirks. "Took a bit of convincing on my part. But I sure as hell wasn't in any hurry to share a room with someone and start college all over again."

 _I can already imagine how that would pan out_ , she thought, suddenly wishing she could have done the same thing. Though, if it wasn't for Kayla, she wasn't sure what would have happened had no one been around during her nightmares.

"So, how exactly do we go about this without making it anymore awkward than it already is?"

There was no point in stalling. Emily found it was sometimes better to get right down to the point, especially if what Kayla had told her earlier was as serious as it sounded.

"I'm not sure," Leonard admitted, letting out a sigh as he rubbed his temple thoughtfully.

 _That makes two of us_. God, if she had known what had happened that night, she would have likely shouted at him as well for giving into Kayla's suggestion. Hell, she was still considering it. And yet, she hated to admit that she was grateful something had worked.

"Look, I like the way things are, now," Emily breathed out.

She stole the courage to flat-out admit they were friends. At least, she had hoped that was what they were. She suddenly found herself admitting that she cared more about Leonard than most of the people she met in her lifetime. She didn't miss the look of surprise that followed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow curiously.

In that moment, Emily found herself freezing on the spot as another thought crossed her mind. He'd trusted her enough with stories of his past. The last thing she wanted was to make things any worse than they already were.

"Leonard, I like you, as a friend," she explained after finally looking at him. "I'm just…"

Worried things were moving too damn fast between them. Worried that she would mess up, and that would be the end of everything. Luckily, he seemed to catch on with what she was saying. Emily blinked in surprise when she caught a flicker of disappointment in his eyes, as if he was expecting a different response.

"Well, much as I hate to say it, your roommate's right about one thing," he muttered, and Emily was all too aware of where he was getting at with that statement.

"You really think I'm just going to agree with that?" she demanded, the knot in her stomach suddenly returning.

"One night." If she wasn't surprised before, she was stunned now. Her eyes met his, and she realized that he was being serious. "Consider it an experiment."

Emily thought of arguing with the notion. A small part of her mind was screaming at her not to agree. She was no stranger of sleeping with men, and had done so occasionally while in college. Had her mother and father found out, they would both have found some form of cruel punishment for such a rebellion.

Yet, the overwhelming sense of trust won over that argument. If there was anyone she was going to trust, it would be Leonard over Jim any day. She bit the bottom of her lip as she considered the suggestion, realizing that it was more than just an open invitation.

"Wouldn't that be against regulations?"

Her voice was barely a whisper, though, considering how often they had seen Jim with a different woman almost every few weeks, she doubted the regulations were really openly followed. Besides, the offer was beginning to sound more tempting than she would have liked to admit out loud.

"Do you trust me?"

Emily blinked at that, her eyes widened as they met his piercing gaze. She had trusted him with her own past. She had trusted him, and he had trusted her. In that moment, she suddenly felt butterflies in her stomach as she realized where this was going.

"I do," she replied without hesitation.

She had wondered how the conversation had changed so drastically. As she felt his hand gently brush against her cheek, all previous thoughts dissipated. The moment his lips met hers was when sparks erupted around them. As the kiss deepened, her hands wrapped gently around the back of his neck, pulling her close against his chest.

Any fear she had felt earlier was swept away in that kiss. His hand snaked across her back, sending an electric shock through her. The passion of their heated kiss nearly took her breath away, especially when their tongues collided with each other. It wasn't until she felt his hands reach her waist that her sense of reality kicked in.

"Leonard," she whispered, her voice full of want despite the reality of the situation they were in. "Leonard, not tonight."

Once she had said that, arms still wrapped around his neck, pressed against his chest, Leonard's eyes widened with realization. He exhaled sharply after understanding dawned on him.

"God, I'm—"

"I'm not angry, Leonard," she reassured him with a smile. "Just… surprised." In a good way. Yeah, that's what it was. Had things gone any differently, she was sure by now she would have given into the temptation. "I prefer taking things slowly," she added teasingly, not missing the look of surprise that followed.

"Dammit Emily," he muttered crossly, "You're gonna be the death of me."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

The moment she had opened her eyes was when she found herself in an unfamiliar room. Emily blinked a few times as memories of the previous night came rushing back. It was at that point that she realized where she was, and _whose_ bed she happened to be sleeping on. Once again, the knot in her stomach had formed as she felt the warmth of a body pressed against hers.

She closed her eyes as she recalled their conversation last night. One night. Just an experiment. And amazingly, it had worked. No nightmares. Well, unless she considered _this_ a nightmare, which she didn't. How exactly were they going to move on without the situation becoming awkward? Sleeping with someone hadn't necessarily been part of her plans, especially when that someone happened to be a friend. She pressed her face against the pillow, relieved that there were no classes today.

"Mornin', sunshine." Emily couldn't hide the grin that followed even if she wanted to at the sound of his voice.

"Good morning, yourself," she laughed, lifting her head from the pillow, and not surprised to find him watching her warily. She almost laughed again at how disheveled he looked after lifting his head from the pillow. "You look like something the cat dragged in."

"Lack of coffee will do that to me, darlin," he griped.

Neither of them were willing to talk about last night. The awkwardness of the situation left Emily wondering if she had made the right choice. Once again, her mind was running through multiple scenarios as she thought of how things would have turned differently, or _should_ have worked out. She hadn't been in any hurry to start another relationship. And there was a time when she would have thought that he of all people wasn't in any hurry to start one either. Yet there they were, trying to figure out how to handle the situation at hand.

"So, what now?" she asked reluctantly.

She knew from experience that things between them would be different now, no matter what they chose. She had enjoyed his company over the last couple of months since classes started. And she wasn't going to lie when it came to admitting that maybe, just maybe she did feel more than just a budding friendship forming between them. Though she didn't plan on admitting that out loud unless the feelings were mutual.

"Did you have any nightmares?"

Emily simply shook her head, the feeling of relief and guilt suddenly rushing over her.

"No," she replied, keeping her voice steady as she sat up and ran a hand through her hair. She wasn't even sure why she felt so guilty. They had both agreed to share a bed. While the situation should have been awkward and uncomfortable, Emily realized with a start that she felt neither. "Whatever it was, it worked."

"Well, I've got the magic touch."

She only rolled her eyes at that. Though, he may have a point there. Much as she would refuse to admit it out loud, Leonard McCoy made her feel safe in his arms. Whatever the case, she still felt guilty about that. What led to how she felt that way around him? Sure, he had his own certain charm and charisma that she appreciated, but he also had a terrible bedside manner. Then again, she wasn't much better when it came to her own temper.

It took a few minutes for the both of them to leave the dorm that morning, neither really willing to show their faces around the mess hall, at least, not until looking relatively normal. Emily had no doubt Kayla would be suspicious, and she didn't even want to know what Jim would say if he ever found out.

"Jim's going to kill us when he finds out," she muttered once they had reached the mess hall.

She was surprised and relieved to find he wasn't there yet. Then again, it _was_ early. Emily suspected Jim would use whatever chance he had to sleep in when classes weren't in session. Not that she didn't blame him. Sleeping in was a rare occurrence at the Academy.

"Under no circumstances, can he know," Leonard nodded in agreement.

Even he firmly believed that Jim would handle the whole situation too immaturely. Emily was all too quick to agree with the plan or, whatever the hell they were going to call it. She supposed in their case, 'friends with benefits' was the best option to call themselves.

"You know, I'm probably going to regret saying this, but all things considered, last night wasn't nearly as awkward as I thought it would be," she admitted sheepishly when they took a seat.

And, as much as she tried to hide it, that was the truth. Leonard made a face at that, and she couldn't hide the smirk that followed.

"Thought for sure you were gonna wring me out," he grumbled crossly. Her thoughts drifted back to what had happened last night. Had things gone any differently, she was sure she would have given into the temptation. For someone who had been so damn insistent on refusing to date another woman, Leonard had taken her by surprise. "Went against my better judgement."

"Leonard, I already said I wasn't angry," she reminded him, nudging him playfully as he rolled his eyes, "I was just surprised. Did you expect anything less?" She paused for a moment, wondering what had ultimately led to that kiss in the first place. "I do have to ask, why me?"

For a moment, Leonard actually looked taken aback by the question. And, all at once, she realized that it had probably been part of the heat of the moment. After all, she had just agreed to _sleep_ with him. A decision she never thought she would have made unless she had trusted him.

"I'd blame it on the hormones kickin' in," he muttered, refusing to make eye contact. Emily almost laughed at that, realizing something along those lines would make sense. "It's been a damn long time since I've met anyone who can hold their own against me."

"Leonard McCoy, are you saying you're attracted to me?" she asked, keeping her tone light and playful as realization dawned on her.

"Dammit Emily, you're makin' this harder than it needs to be!" he snapped.

She only smirked at that. Thank God Jim wasn't around to hear any of this. Something in the back of her mind told her that he wouldn't take any of well. Or, he'd just be gawking at the two of them like some of the other Cadets were as they walked past.

"Well, that still doesn't explain last night," her voice dropped to a whisper.

She was already aware that any shows of intimacy outside the dorm was strictly forbidden. Well, aside from a hug or a kiss. She hadn't ever seen Cadets go as far as that within the Academy campus. The same couldn't be said at the bar or other public areas. Leonard sucked in a breath at that. At this point, they were both beyond the point of no return, and he knew it.

"Ah, the fuck with it, I find ya attractive. Hell, I found you attractive since that morning on the shuttle ride."

For once, Emily was stunned into silence. Which was probably a good thing, on Leonard's part, because by now, they'd received quite a few curious stares. She blinked a few times, unsure of how to respond to that. The Southern lilt in his voice had gotten stronger the more frustrated he was, and goddam it, she found herself just staring blankly at him for the next few seconds.

"You know, for all that it's worth, you're not too bad yourself, McCoy," she finally admitted, silently thanking God once again that Jim or Kayla weren't around to hear any of this. There were benefits to getting out of bed early, after all. Leonard only grumbled under his breath before glancing at her self-consciously. "And, I don't think it would hurt to try another experiment."

If Leonard wasn't surprised before, he was now at her offer.

"Are you sure?" he asked, still reeling with confusion over what the hell just happened.

"Well, it _did_ kind of end on a cliffhanger," she reminded him, earning a scowl seconds later.

"Dammit woman, you're gonna be the death of me," he griped.

"I take it that's a yes?" Leonard only rolled his eyes, though she could see the slightest smirks that followed. "Same time, same place?" she pressed, having already guessed what the answer would be.

"You bet."

…

"Wait, so Pike assigned as a Liaison?" Jim asked in disbelief as they left the mess hall later that morning.

Leonard was working the morning shift at the hospital, having left an hour ago while Emily worked on her studies. Once he had left, Jim arrived only thirty minutes later. She was relieved when the only question Jim had to offer was how her meeting with Captain Pike went. Truthfully, she didn't know how to answer what had happened between herself or Leonard without making things anymore awkward than they already were.

"Yep," she replied with a nod, "Honestly, these classes are a walk in the park compared to what I'm used to," she added once they'd reached the courtyard.

Again, Jim wasn't the least bit surprised when she had mentioned that Pike acted as her advisor. She had mentioned before that Pike was the reason she had enlisted with Starfleet in the first place. If not for Pike, Emily was sure she wouldn't have a place to call home, or a future, for that matter.

"This coming from the Cadet who didn't even know how to operate a data PADD on the first day." Emily only rolled her eyes at that. She knew it was true, and there was still a lot she had to learn about this world. But, that didn't stop her from pushing herself, and trying out whatever she could to make it through the Academy. "So, you got any plans for tonight?"

"Actually, I do," she shrugged it off, not missing the look of disappointment in Kirk's eyes as they reached the gym. She had quickly learned that Jim actually made a good sparring partner when he wasn't trying to flirt with her. Sometimes, she would catch Sulu here as well, and he made one hell of a sparring partner when it came to fencing. "I've got papers to write, and tests to study for."

"You know, most people don't spend as much time studying as you do," Jim pointed out with a cheeky grin.

 _Oh, you have no idea_ , she thought with another roll of her eyes. She would spend hours in the library catching up on whatever material needed to be learned for that week, or even the semester. Then again, it wasn't really any different from what she would have done in college. Of course, Jim actually made a good study-partner as well. One of the things she had quickly learned was that Jim was a hell of lot smarter than he let on.

"I guess that's why you're going into Command, right?" she asked coyly.

"But it's just so much more work," he groaned as they began their sparring session.

"A little hard work is good for the soul," she quipped. "And you could at least focus on the task at hand," she added after swiping her legs out, catching him by surprise and sending him to the floor seconds later.

"Damn, you're one mean lady." She couldn't fight off the laughter that followed as she helped Jim back to his feet. "I think Bones' attitude is definitely rubbing off on you."

"Jim, you and I both know that's not true," she smirked, "I've been this way long before meeting the two of you."

By the time the two of them were finished, they were both exhausted and sitting down on a bench to cool down. It had been a long time since she had a decent sparring session like that, and she suspected Jim was thinking the same thing.

"But, in all seriousness, what _do_ you think of Bones?"

His question caught her by surprise. Emily blinked at that, not sure how to respond as she took a swig of water and swallowed. He didn't show any indications of knowing what had happened the other evening. Or what they were planning the following evening.

"Where'd that come from?" she asked curiously.

"Just curious," he shrugged.

Emily looked down at the floor thoughtfully, having already thought it through on more than one occasion. She was just never asked how she actually felt about the doctor, and any attempts at bringing the conversation up by Kayla was usually pushed aside. If she was being honest, she would've found his charm far more impressive than Jim's. Not to mention, he was far more of a gentleman than Kirk could ever be. Of course, she was never willing to admit that out loud.

"He's a good friend," she said thoughtfully, hoping that would be enough to satisfy his curiosity. "Someone I know I can rely on if anything happened to me."

She paused and looked at Jim curiously, noticing the fact that he was being uncharacteristically quiet. If there was one thing she had learned about Jim over the last few months, it was the fact that he got quiet when something was on his mind. She looked at him self-consciously as she noticed that his brows were furrowed together thoughtfully.

"That how you see me?"

Emily sucked in a breath at that, realizing that he was being serious. Jim Kirk wasn't like any other Cadet at the Academy. Yes, he may have his moments as the annoying Cadet who could get under her skin. They bickered constantly over the slightest things, usually revolving around whatever Jim had started the conversation with. Yet, she saw him as more than that; she saw a friend in him, someone who _needed_ a friend as much as she did.

"Jim, you're like a brother to me," she admitted, earning a look of surprise. "And if anyone tries to say otherwise, I'll gladly kick their sorry ass to the ground."

And truer words couldn't be said. Jim actually looked taken aback by what she had said. He hated to admit it, but she always seemed to surprise him. She didn't judge him based on the rumors that constantly swarmed the Academy. She didn't see him as the son of a Commander who had saved the lives of hundreds, including himself and his mother. She saw him as a friend, and there was something almost significant about that. He was glad they were friends.

"So, I guess this makes you my sister, huh?" he said, nudging her playfully.

"Don't get too comfortable, Kirk; as an older sister, it means I have to make sure you don't do anything stupid," she snapped, though the teasing in her voice told him she appreciated the comment.

"Ah, you do love me."

Emily only snorted at that, though she didn't deny it.

"As much as I love getting a medical exam," she quipped.

They both burst out laughing at the faces each of them made. She couldn't remember the last time she had laughed like that. If there was one thing Jim was good at, it was making her laugh. She appreciated his sense of humor, and couldn't ask for a better brother.

…

When Emily returned to the dorm later that afternoon, she wasn't surprised to find Kayla waiting for her. She ignored the look her roommate was giving her as she showered and changed clothes, hating the idea of looking like she'd been running a marathon. Once she was finished changing, that's when the interrogation started.

"So, where were you last night?" Kayla asked, quirking an eyebrow as Emily rolled her eyes and grabbed her duffel bag.

"Out," she replied without missing a beat.

"Yeah, I figured as much, considering you spent the whole evening with McCoy."

Emily froze on the spot at the accusing tone in Kayla's voice. Her eyes narrowed as she whirled around to face her roommate, who merely looked at her innocently.

"Weren't you the one who pretty much demanded that we talk things through?" she asked, her eyes like chips of ice as she caught the look in Kayla's eyes.

"Yeah," Kayla admitted sheepishly, "I was losing sleep, and so were you."

"I'm sorry," she sighed, running a hand through her hair as she realized Kayla had a valid point. "These nightmares are more than that. But, I can't exactly explain it. Leonard and Captain Pike are the only ones who know."

Well, aside from Admiral Marcus. She hadn't said that out loud, and she seriously hoped Kayla would never find out.

Kayla frowned at that. The guilt in Emily's voice suddenly made her feel guilty for even bringing it up. There was something else going on, something she was hiding. It didn't take a genius to know that Emily trusted McCoy. Or, that the two of them were undoubtedly close. She wasn't sure why it bothered her so much… call it jealousy, or concern, but whatever the case, it bothered her.

"You slept with him, didn't you?"

Emily flinched at that. Her tone wasn't accusing like she was expecting, just concerned and mildly surprised.

"Look, you have to promise you won't tell anyone, especially Jim," she snapped.

She tried to ignore the fact that Kayla's eyes widened in shock. There was no point in trying to deny it, especially since she was going back tonight. Kayla just stared at her in disbelief when she finally admitted the truth.

"Oh my God, you did!" And, this was exactly the kind of reaction she suspected Jim would have. Though, something told her his would be far worse. "W-How did that even happen? What was it even like?"

Emily only rolled her eyes as she sat down on her bed, taking a deep breath as memories of last night came rushing back. Was she really willing to go back, just like that? Leonard had agreed all-too-willingly when she made the suggestion. And, to top it off, he had admitted he found her attractive. The fact that he had stunned her into silence should have said something.

"We didn't get any further than a kiss," she explained, suddenly feeling modest as Kayla gaped at her. "I don't want either of us making decisions we'll regret in the future."

"You still kissed," Kayla smirked, looking more like a kid in the candy store on a sugar-high. "Wow, I knew he had it bad, I didn't realize just how bad it was."

 _You would go there_ , Emily thought with another roll of her eyes.

"So, I take it you're going back?" she added, narrowing her eyes once she had recovered from the initial shock.

"Yep," she replied, not missing the look Kayla was giving her. "Look, you need sleep as much as I do. We'll be fine."

"Hm, it's not _you_ I'm worried about," she smirked in amusement as Emily glared at her. "I'm just looking out for my friend, and my roommate. Should he do anything to hurt you, I will personally hunt him down and—"

"Kayla, he's not that kind of person," Emily reminded her with a shake of her head.

She already felt exasperated with the whole thing. Not by a longshot. Last night had been a fluke. She was sure of that. And yet, a small part of her mind kept telling her that wasn't true. Leonard had blamed it on hormones. Neither of them were willing to admit that it was something more.

Kayla only rolled her eyes, but didn't bother arguing, not this time. Letting out a sigh of relief, Emily took the chance to leave before Kayla started asking more questions that would start giving her second thoughts about her decision.

* * *

 **AN: This chapter was so much fun to write :P I'm curious to see how people see her friendship with Jim, all things considered ;)**

 **Guest, she is a lot smarter than she looks. Though, she'd never openly admit it... kind of like Jim. As for Kayla's jealousy, it's a little bit of both, on Em's trust towards Bones and her intelligence.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

" _In my bed I'm rolling over I'm tangling up in the chains on the swings on the set, on the night that we met, And all the beads of water move up the glass You speak your mind, you cannot take it back..._ " - Tightrope, Walk The Moon

* * *

When she had signed on to become a Liaison, she was bracing herself for the classes to get more difficult. She had to take numerous classes at once and keep up with whatever social life she had left outside of those classes. That social life revolved mostly around Leonard and Jim, as the two of them had become more than just friends to her. Kayla had become more of the overprotective parent than a friend. It got to the point where they would argue almost every other day about it, and of course, Emily would usually brush it off.

In a way, Kayla was a lot like Julia. They both seemed to look out for her in ways that she didn't expect. Now, she was beginning to wish that a hole would open up and swallow her. She and Leonard had reached a mutual agreement to continue seeing each other, and to continue sleeping together. There hadn't been any arguments on either side, and Emily was beginning to find the idea of sleeping with him more and more appealing.

"I just don't get how you can think this is a good idea," she had muttered with a shake of her head, referring to the nightly visits between Emily and Leonard. She hadn't missed the fact that Emily's behavior had changed dramatically since they began seeing each other. "I mean, what happens if you're caught? You'll not only get kicked out of the Academy, but it goes on your records for the rest of your lives."

"Kayla, I think we're already aware of the risks," Emily rolled her eyes in annoyance.

They had had this conversation multiple times already. It had already been two weeks since they decided to keep it under wraps, and Kayla had become increasingly aware that something more was going on behind those closed doors. Though she never said it out loud, it was blindingly obvious that Kayla had a conclusion that most people would if they knew what was going on. Emily had to bite her tongue to keep herself from making a nasty retort.

Though they had agreed to share a room together, and a bed at that, it never went beyond that. A small part of her wanted nothing more than to make the next move. But she was fully aware that things could go horribly wrong if they moved too quickly.

"But, Em, there's more than just the risk of getting kicked out of the Academy," Kayla pointed out, and Emily had tossed a pillow in her direction at that.

"Dammit Kayla, he's a freaking Doctor!" she snapped.

Kayla frowned in annoyance after she dodged the pillow and threw it back.

It wasn't until Emily had said that that she realized just how much she was beginning to sound just like Leonard. And, she wasn't the only one to notice.

"All the more reason why _he_ should know better," Kayla retorted. "Not only that, but he's also been through one bad divorce. You'd think he'd have learned by now."

Emily breathed in sharply through her nose, and Kayla stiffened as she realized what she had said. She had only been looking out for her roommate up until now. But, she knew what these nightly visits would eventually turn into. It never ended well, for anyone.

"Look, I get that you're worried," Emily sighed, trying to keep her temper under control by pinching the bridge of her nose as Kayla ducked for whatever cover she could find. She wasn't above throwing things if her temper got the better of her, but she managed to restrain herself this time. "But, this decision was made by the both of us. Whatever choices we make, whatever mistakes we make, is our fault. And if things don't work out, then that's our fault."

"Emily, if you don't stop this, I might have to myself," Kayla snapped, the anger in her voice making Emily turn to see her glaring at her. "And, I know exactly who to tell."

"You wouldn't," Emily practically growled.

Kayla of all people knew just how much she had tried avoiding Spock, the Vulcan Science Officer who had been a Starfleet Officer for nearly four years now. She had done everything in her power to avoid him up until now. Unfortunately, he was the one who lectured some of her classes, which meant that meeting him now was inevitable.

"Try me." The determination in Kayla's voice told her that she was deadly serious. She felt her heart race with unease as she realized what Kayla was implying. "I know how men think. I care about you, Em. I just don't want him to hurt you."

 _He wouldn't_ , Emily reminded her silently. But, at this point, she understood the severity of Kayla's threat. If she reported whatever was going on between them to Spock, he would file a report and get them both kicked out of the Academy. She wouldn't have anywhere to go, and she couldn't let that happen to Leonard. Not after all the hell he's already been through.

"Alright, I'll take your word for it," she relented, fuming over the fact that no matter what, this couldn't continue.

That was how Emily had been avoiding any contact for the next couple of weeks. She still kept in touch with Jim, having reminded Kayla that no matter what she said about him, Jim was still her best friend and brother-not-by-blood. Aside from that, she had refused to eat in the mess hall, opting to skip out on meals or bring them to the dorm instead.

It wasn't until the third week that Kayla had begun to notice her change in behavior. She had become more irritable, snapping at anyone who dared approach her other than Jim. True, she kept up with her classes and passed with flying colors. But, it was obvious she had not been sleeping. The nightmares had started returning at full-force, and Kayla had refused to do anything about it.

By the time the fourth week came around, Kayla had snapped. She realized that whatever had kept Emily's sanity was gone. Kayla chewed the bottom of her lip as she sat at the corner of the library, studying a particularly hard language. She didn't go anywhere near the dorm for the very reason that Emily had lost her temper far more often than she used to. It was clear that something needed to be done, but Kayla had also learned that something involved a certain doctor.

Speaking of which, she caught sight of him sitting at one of the tables, scowling at whatever notes he was going through at the moment. She rolled her eyes at the sight, wondering if that scowl was permanent. Though, there was a time when he had actually almost smirked. Kayla sucked in a breath as she realized that was when he was with Emily.

"You've gotta do something about Hayes." Kayla narrowed her eyes at the sound of Kirk's voice as he joined McCoy, the doctor's scowl deepening at the mention of Emily, or the fact that he'd been trying to study. Whatever the case, Kirk always seemed to find a way to get under anyone's skin. "Woman was nearly at my throat for just talking to her, and she's never acted that way… well, except for when we first met."

"Not much I can do about it when she's avoidin' me," McCoy grumbled.

The bitterness in his voice caught Kayla by surprise. Even Kirk rose an eyebrow at his complaint. If he knew what was going on between them, then he shouldn't be so surprised. Then again, Kayla had no doubt that they had been keeping whatever was happening between them a secret.

"Why would Em of all people avoid you?" Kirk demanded, sounding frustrated and confused. "I mean, I know why _everyone_ else would, but Hayes is different from most people. In a good way."

Kayla almost snorted in agreement with that. People did avoid McCoy for a reason. He had a terrible bedside manner that could explain their avoidance. But, that gruff exterior had never scared Emily. In fact, she seemed almost drawn to people like McCoy and Kirk, whose reputations would normally keep anyone away.

"Yeah, well, I'm done with women," McCoy snapped and was getting ready to leave. "All they ever do is bring trouble with them."

For a moment, Kayla just looked in their direction, her eyes wide with shock at that. Once McCoy had left, Kirk was left alone. Kayla's mind was already working a mile a minute to try and figure out what the hell just happened. She realized that maybe McCoy _had_ seen Emily as more than just a friend himself. It was at that point she realized something needed to be done.

"This is all my fault," she sighed with a shake of her head as Kirk looked in her direction. "I'm the one who threatened to report it."

"Report what?"

Kirk rose an eyebrow, and Kayla wondered if she had any right to tell him what _had_ been going on between them. Considering the three of them had been the best of friends at one time, she wondered how well he would take the news.

"That they were… sleeping together," she admitted, her voice dropping to a whisper. "It wasn't anything serious, but I was worried."

"They were _what_?" Kirk only gaped at her in disbelief, his mouth literally hanging open for a moment before he closed it. "And they didn't have the nerve to let me in on it?"

"Well, something tells me they had a reason to keep it secret," she explained with a shrug, suddenly wishing a hole would open up and swallow her. She knew that Emily wouldn't likely forgive her for keeping them apart. But at least she had to try and fix the problem that she started. "Em hasn't been the same, and I'm guessing McCoy hasn't either."

"Yeah," Kirk admitted resentfully, "Guy's been losing his temper more often, just like Em."

Kayla let out a sigh of frustration as she realized just how far she had gone this time. She had only been looking out for her. But, she realized by now that it was too late.

"I think we need to do something to get back our friends," she muttered, hating the fact that they would need to work together. "It's not healthy for either of them to be so grumpy all the time. Emily in particular, because she snaps at just about anyone who tries to talk with her, and has a temper worse than a wolverine."

Kirk only nodded in agreement at that, having been on the receiving end of her temper multiple times. The question was, how exactly did they get them back together without making it obvious? Kayla wasn't exactly the best when it came to forming plans. Luckily, Kirk was a master at that. It had only taken them a good hour to come up with the perfect plan, and by the time they were finished, Kayla knew that whatever happened after this would work.

"Just uh, one more thing, Emily's gonna kill me enough for this," she went on before they parted ways. "So, under no circumstances, can either of them know that _you_ know. I get the feeling they wouldn't appreciate it."

"Yeah, I had that feeling since Bones didn't say a thing about it until you brought it up," Kirk rolled his eyes, and Kayla found herself smirking at the nickname. "Alright, Richards, I'll see you bright and early tomorrow."

Kayla smirked in amusement at that before heading back to her dorm for the night. Maybe Kirk wasn't as bad as she first thought, and Emily had a point about him.

…

Morning had arrived all too quickly for Emily. Her eyes snapped open to find herself back in the dorm. After not getting decent sleep for nearly four weeks, she was beginning to wonder if these nightmares would ever leave her alone. They had only gotten worse over the weeks since she'd avoided Leonard. The familiar pang in her chest as she sat up kept returning every morning, as if there was an emptiness where _he_ should be.

It was enough to make her realize just how dependent she had been on him. Her throat tightened at the thought. She had never needed to rely on anyone before, but the moment she woke up in this world was when that all changed.

"Alright, Em, we're going to the mess hall, whether you want to or not," Kayla suddenly announced, snapping her out of her thoughts. "And before you say no, I've already decided that I will drag you there if I have to. You haven't been eating or sleeping properly, and it's becoming obvious. Do not make me send you to the hospital."

That was enough to catch her attention. Emily grimaced at the thought of going back to the hospital, especially after not getting nearly enough sleep or anything to eat. She had been avoiding the mess hall at all costs, mostly because she was afraid of what she would say to Leonard if she ran into him. Kayla must have noticed the unusual change in her behavior. She admitted that she wasn't the same since their conversation four weeks ago. But, between losing sleep and everything else, her behavior was understandable. At least, that was how it felt.

She shook her head at the thought as she followed Kayla to the mess hall after making sure she didn't look like a mess herself. Emily blinked in confusion as she realized Kayla wasn't leading her to the mess hall. It didn't take long for her to figure out what was happening, but Kayla had already grabbed her hand as they reached a rather large utility closet that Kirk had been waiting by.

"Oh, what fresh hell is this?" she groaned after hearing the shouting from inside the closet that Kirk had been leaning against.

He looked far too smug for this to be anything good, and she recognized who was shouting and cursing away within seconds. It only took her a few seconds to register what the pair were planning. Jim just kept that same cocky grin as his arms crossed over his chest.

"How'd you manage to get him to listen?" Kayla asked with an equally amused expression.

"Eh, he was still half-asleep when I dragged him out," Kirk shrugged it off. "Plus, he hasn't had his coffee yet, so… you're in for a treat."

It didn't take long for Emily to realize what they were planning. Before she could struggle free of Kayla's surprisingly firm grip, Kirk moved to open the door, and she was practically shoved into the closet, nearly knocking Leonard over in the process.

"Now, we've both had it dealing with whatever the hell is going on here," Kayla rolled her eyes as she and Kirk guarded the entrance, both looking too damn smug for their own good.

"Which is why we've decided to lock you in here until you work it out," Kirk put in. "Oh, and please try not to kill each other, I prefer keeping my friends in one piece."

Neither Emily or Leonard were given a chance to protest as the door was closed on them.

"Piss-ass," Emily cursed under her breath, slamming a fist against the door in a feeble attempt to avoid any confrontation. Unfortunately, life never seemed to work out in her favor. "This was not how I wanted the morning to start off," she added, ignoring the murderous look Leonard was giving her.

"Dammit woman, you've been avoidin' me like I'm the devil!" he snapped, and it was enough for her to roll her eyes.

"Well, excuse me for needing to focus on my damn classes!" she shouted back with equal force, catching him by surprise, for a change.

"Do you expect me to believe that load of bullcrap?" he demanded.

"No, I expect you to keep your damn mouth shut so that we can get out of this shit-hole!"

"You're the reason we're in this damn mess in the first place!"

"Kiss my ass, Leonard. You and I both know the reason why we're stuck in this damned closet!"

If either of them had kept their voices any lower, they would have heard the laughter from the other side of the door. Emily was fuming as she glared back.

"Don't you think I would've if I could?"

That was enough to stun Emily into silence. Even Leonard had clamped a hand over his mouth as he realized what he'd said. It took a few seconds for Emily to register that the laughter outside had died down. Either Kirk and Kayla had heard or, they'd just given up. Whatever the case, she couldn't hide the look of disbelief that followed as she realized what Leonard was implying. Seeing the look written across his face told her that he hadn't meant for those words to slip out.

"You'd really rather kiss my ass?" she finally found the courage to ask, blinking innocently as he rolled his eyes.

"Actually, I'd rather kiss _you_ ," he admitted, looking slightly sheepish at his confession.

Emily merely blinked at that. She wasn't sure what to say to that, especially given the unusual situation they found themselves in. Had they been in their dorm, maybe she would have said something about that remark. But, as it was, they were currently locked in a closet with Kirk and Kayla standing guard. She had a feeling they wouldn't care one way or another if they said nothing for the next two hours.

"Well, you're gonna have to wait," she replied, keeping her voice steady under the glare that followed. "Look, for whatever reason, Kirk and Kayla aren't going to let us out of this damned closet unless we… make up. So, we might as well get it done and over with."

Leonard sucked in a breath before nodding in agreement. She rolled her eyes after realizing that maybe Kayla had a point when it came to men being men. Though, she admitted that the feelings were mutual. The only reason she had been avoiding him in the first place was because Kayla had threatened to report them. Now, there was a very high possibility that Kirk knew the truth, and that could only lead to disaster if he found out.

"Damn, that was an epic shouting match," Jim smirked the moment they had opened the door, nearly blinding them with that harsh San Francisco sunlight. "Gotta give you credit for putting Bones in his place, Hayes."

"Kirk, I'd run if I were you," Kayla whispered after noticing the murderous glares they were both giving him. Jim didn't need to be told twice as he realized that both of them were glaring at him. He made a beeline for whatever hiding place he could find. "So, are we good?" she asked hesitantly, knowing she'd likely get an ear-full once they were alone.

"I'd run, if I were you," Leonard drawled, the tense curtness in his tone enough for Kayla to understand she was in serious trouble herself.

She ran the moment she had a chance, leaving the two of them behind. The moment they were gone was when Emily let out a sigh of relief. She'd give Kayla hell for this later on, and she was sure that Leonard would wring out Jim's neck once they had a moment alone.

"How exactly do we move on from here?" she asked once they'd reached the mess hall, relieved to find neither Jim or Kayla had thought of going there.

"That depends on whether or not you plan on avoidin' me after this," Leonard rolled his eyes after grabbing a much needed cup of coffee, and Emily had grabbed a bowl of much-needed oatmeal.

She'd already grabbed her own cup of coffee after deciding that caffeine was desperately needed. After that rude awakening, she wanted nothing more than to crawl back into bed and forget the whole incident happened in the first place.

"Leonard, the only reason I've been avoiding you in the first place is because Kayla threatened to report us," she rolled her eyes. The look he threw her was priceless. "She found out on her own."

Well, it was technically true. Kayla had jumped to one wild conclusion, and Emily had known that the longer she made her roommate wait, the more wild guesses she would make.

She didn't want either of them getting kicked out of the Academy because of those stupid regulations. For a moment, even Leonard didn't know what to say to that. They'd become good friends over the last couple of months, and neither were willing to admit that maybe this relationship was turning into something bigger. At any rate, both Kirk and Kayla had learned the hard way what it was like to keep them separated for any amount of time.

"Screw the regulations," Leonard muttered under his breath, and Emily couldn't hide the smirk that followed, but it quickly faded as her rational thinking took over.

"As much as I love your enthusiasm, Leonard, I don't think we should keep this up," she sighed, letting her hands fall around the bowl of oatmeal. "What if someone like Spock found out? You know he would file a report without even thinking. We'll find a way around this, but for now, I think it's best to keep it to a minimum."

As much as Leonard hated to admit it, he knew she was right. Last thing he needed was some greenblooded hog-goblin reporting either of them. Especially if what Emily had said about her past was true. Neither of them could afford to lose their places in the Academy.

"So, what exactly do you have in mind?" he asked after giving it some thought.

It was clear that avoiding each other wasn't working out for either of them. So, something had to be done. Emily looked into her bowl of oatmeal thoughtfully, until an idea came to mind.

"I've got an idea," she replied with a coy smile.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

"Listen, about the whole closet incident and threatening to report you—"

"Kayla, you can drop the apologies," Emily cut her off with a roll of her eyes.

After a heated discussion with Leonard the other day, she wasn't in the mood to talk with her roommate. They had already made arrangements regarding the regulations. To keep from getting caught by not only her roommate, but any other prying eyes as well, the two of them had decided to make their nightly visits every other night. It wasn't just a matter of keeping it under wraps and making sure that no one suspected a thing. Emily had long-since given up the idea that their one-night session had been a fluke. She knew there was something else going on between them, something that neither of them could properly explain without turning it into what either of them feared.

Kayla had been surprised when Emily didn't bother chasing her down for locking her in a closet with Leonard. It was at that point her roommate began to piece two and two together. She'd figured that their discussion had been more than just that. That was what had left her reeling with shock when she realized the two of them were different when separated for any period of time. She hated to admit it, but whatever McCoy had going on with Emily affected the both of them.

She did feel slightly guilty for having caused the problem at hand. Emily could understand why Kayla had been so worried. After what had led to her last failed relationship, she would have thought for sure that she wasn't in any hurry to begin a new one. And while she wasn't sure what to call whatever she and Leonard were, there was no denying that it was the start of a new one.

"Well, at any rate, I've decided to leave the Academy," Kayla sighed after there was a moment's silence. Emily looked at her in disbelief as she refused to make eye-contact. She had her own reasons for leaving Starfleet. A lot was going on with her family at the moment that needed her attention, and she couldn't stay focused on her work. "I've already discussed the issue with the Council, and they've arranged it so that you get a single dorm."

For a moment, Emily didn't know what to say as Kayla shrugged and finally looked at her. She hadn't meant for things to get this far between her roommate, who had done so much to help her fit in with this world. Emily hadn't realized until now just how guilty she felt for the whole thing. Yet, she also realized that Kayla was presenting her with an opportunity she couldn't pass down. Since she and Leonard had reached an agreement to sleep together, they could just as easily switch dorms to keep others from growing suspicious.

"Kayla, you don't have to do that," she murmured, the guilt in her voice obvious. "I mean, I know it hasn't been easy, but—"

"Em, none of this is your fault," Kayla reassured her as if she'd read her mind. "I've known for a while that this was going to happen. My uh, mom and dad are getting divorced. It's been happening for a while, and I was just pushing back the inevitable. That's why I was so concerned for you. I know what it's like, I've seen and heard the fights. But, it's obvious McCoy isn't that kind of person, especially if he's experienced something like that first-hand."

Emily only stared at her for a few seconds, unsure of what to say to that. She hadn't realized that Kayla's parents were that far gone. Kayla had mentioned they would fight occasionally, but usually, they made up. Apparently, it had been worse than she first thought. Now she understood why Kayla had been worried about how far things would go between herself and McCoy.

"I'm sorry this happened to you," she sighed, wrapping her arms around Kayla in a tight hug. "I know it can't be easy, leaving all of this behind."

"I'm glad we got to be roommates, even if you were a pain in the ass half of the time," Kayla said cheekily, and Emily resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "And, I'm happy you did find someone who genuinely seems to care about you. I just hope McCoy knows what he's getting himself into." Emily couldn't hide the smirk that followed as Kayla reached for the suitcase she had pulled from under her bed. "Also, Kirk isn't nearly as bad as I thought."

"I could've told you that," Emily retorted as she realized Kayla had already packed all of her things.

The two of them headed out of the dorm that Friday afternoon, both of them thankful that classes were only in the morning. It was strange to think that so much had changed in such a short amount of time. Kayla hadn't realized until that moment that she was thankful she'd shared a room with Emily. Though things had gotten a little rocky towards the end, she still had no regrets in meeting the older woman.

"Well, whatever the case, I'm going to miss you, and the Academy. Who knows, maybe one day, we'll see each other again," she laughed as they reached the shuttle stop.

Emily chewed the bottom of her lip, wondering if that was true. Something in the back of her mind told her that Kayla wouldn't be willing to go back once her parents had officially divorced. All of the stress and pain that came from it would leave her with the need to be with her parents, who would need her the most. Once the shuttle had arrived, and Emily wrapped her arms around Kayla with one last goodbye hug, she knew that this was probably the last time she would see her roommate.

…

Jim was thrown out of his trance the moment he was tossed to the training mat by a leaner figure, who had pinned him to the mat and pulled his arms behind him. He let out a groan of annoyance and pain as she kept him in that position for a few seconds as their instructor observed the mock-fight.

"Interesting fighting technique, Cadet Hayes," the instructor said thoughtfully when she stood up and let him up. "I see you've been practicing since our last session, unlike your partner over here."

He nodded to Jim, who only rolled his eyes at that remark. By now, he'd gotten used to the fact that the instructor pointed out everyone's flaws. Emily just straightened up and frowned as she noticed that he was picking favorites, again.

"It would help if a certain someone was actually paying attention for a change," she chimed in playfully. "Honestly, I've never seen you _this_ distracted, Kirk."

"It's been a long week," he explained, rubbing his arms where she'd had him pinned down. "How does someone like you manage to pin me down in thirty-seconds flat?"

"Years of training," she replied without missing a beat. "When you've grown up in New York, you need to know how to defend yourself."

At least that was the truth. Where she had come from, it was easy to get nabbed by someone on the streets, even with officers watching constantly. That was why she had signed up for self-defense classes in the hopes of making sure it never happened. Of course, that didn't stop those damned creatures from taking her when they did.

Once the instructor had ended class, Emily breathed out a sigh of relief. It wasn't surprising that she found combat training her favorite source of stress relief. Either Jim or Sulu had the unfortunate privilege of being her sparring partners. The two of them had quickly learned that she wasn't an easy target, though Sulu had beaten her on multiple occasions during their sessions.

"It's been a long time since I've had a decent sparring partner," he admitted once the class had parted ways.

"The same could be said for you, Hikaru," she smiled in response. They didn't usually talk much outside of class, so it was nice to have a decent conversation for a change. "At least you actually pay attention, unlike _some_ people."

She nudged Jim playfully, and he just stuck his tongue out at her in response.

"I pay attention, most of the time," he retorted.

"Could've fooled me," she rolled her eyes. "Most people don't need to be reminded."

"I think we've already established that I'm not like most people," Jim deadpanned.

"You two act like a couple of squabbling siblings," Sulu shook his head in amusement, earning looks from them both.

Emily had admitted a few weeks ago that she saw Jim as a brother. And the same could be said about Jim seeing her as a sister. They looked out for one another, and bickered constantly over the slightest things. But, Emily had soon learned that she couldn't ask for a better brother. Oh, Jim had his moments where she wanted to wring his neck, like when he and Kayla had locked her in a closet with Leonard. But, she had realized at the time that they were only looking out for the two of them.

"Isn't that how siblings are supposed to act?" Emily asked innocently, earning an eye-roll seconds later from Jim. "At any rate, thanks for being a good sport," she added, giving Sulu a mock-bow.

Sulu rose an eyebrow and looked at her incredulously, before doing the same, adding a little more grace to his stature.

"Until next time."

She couldn't hide the sheepish smirk that followed as they turned and left in different directions, Jim trailing after her.

"How is it that you're able to make friends with the most random people?" he asked after catching up with her.

"That's a trade secret," she replied with a wink.

Though, she and Sulu weren't exactly on the status as friends. Maybe more as acquaintances. Once they had reached the mess hall, things had pretty much quieted down between them. Emily was just grateful for a moment of peace. That seemed like a rare occurrence these days, especially when Jim tried bringing up some of his latest schemes that would always result in disaster. They had been thrown into what Starfleet considered detention on multiple occasions because he'd usually drag her into his plans, somehow. And, they were usually at each other's throats by the end of what was supposed to be a session of quiet and thought-provoking moments.

"So, I've been thinking of taking the Kobyoshi Maru," Jim randomly announced as Leonard joined them a half-hour later.

"You've gotta be kidding me?" Leonard rolled his eyes, having also dealt with Jim's more than inappropriate schemes himself.

"Yeah," Jim replied with a shrug. "Look, it's supposed to be unbeatable, but I'm willing to bet there's a way around that."

The Kobyoshi Maru… Emily remembered Spock mentioning it during one of his lectures. The Science Officer was the reason behind the harsh programming that did make it unbeatable. But, when Jim set his mind to something, he never backed down from a challenge.

"Why set yourself up for the embarrassment of losing?" she couldn't resist asking.

Jim only rolled his eyes at that. He wasn't the kind of person who let whatever remarks she made get to him. Besides, she had a feeling that Jim wasn't going to give up on the test. Considering it was designed to make someone fail, she could understand why he wanted to rise up to the challenge.

"I want the both of you there," Jim insisted, earning glares from them both. "Come on, who could ask for better crew members? Liaison Hayes and Chief Medical Officer."

"Liaison?" Leonard rose an eyebrow in surprise, and Emily had almost forgotten that she didn't tell him about her new status.

"Uh, yeah. My advisor recommended I change my status to Liaison. I hate having just one position to work in," she admitted with a shrug.

"I'm surprised she didn't tell you," Jim smirked, and she promptly kicked him from under the table, effectively shutting him up.

"At any rate, it's no big deal," she rolled her eyes.

"So, tomorrow morning, Kobyoshi Maru," Jim told them, his smirk never leaving, "I want you both there bright and early."

Emily only shook her head at that, knowing whatever Jim had in mind with the Kobyoshi Maru couldn't be anything good. She just hoped that neither she or Leonard got dragged into it. Once he left, Emily let out a sigh of relief and found herself thinking of what Kayla had said the other day. She knew that whatever happened from this moment on, their lives would never be the same. She wasn't expecting Kayla to leave the dorm for herself, especially considering how difficult the Council would have been on the subject.

"Kayla left," she randomly blurted out, earning a look of surprise from Leonard moments later. "She uh, just opted to leave. Family issues and all," she added with a shrug.

"They assign you a new roommate already?" Leonard asked, sounding genuinely curious.

She couldn't hide the smirk that followed.

"No," she replied, looking away self-consciously. "She actually recommended to the Council that I keep the room to myself."

And, only a true good friend would have done that for her. Anyone else would have held a grudge and refused to allow any privacy. Kayla seemed to understand what was going on, much to Emily's embarrassment. Which, was one of the reasons she had opted for her to keep the room to herself.

"I know that we've already made arrangements," she added after finally meeting that piercing gaze. "But, I wouldn't mind if things were switched up every now and then."

"I thought you hated sharing your dorm with anyone other than your roommate," he retorted in an accusing tone, though she didn't miss the slightest hints of amusement in his eyes.

"I can make an exception," she shrugged.

She nudged him playfully as if to prove a point, and Leonard only rolled his eyes before agreeing with that idea. It was like they were completely different people when caught alone. Other Cadets would stare at them in confusion after noticing how different they both were. By now, Emily had gotten used to the strange looks they received. Hell, most Cadets found it odd that the three of them had become good friends over the last few months. Their reactions really weren't all that surprising, when she thought about it. She didn't care. Whatever thoughts they had for either Leonard, Jim, or herself would fall on deaf ears.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

 **Warning: Time skip, and some slight NSFW; nothing too extreme, though**

" _The sun shines brighter when you are here, My heart beats louder and time just disappears Everything is how it should be, When you're with me_..." - When You're With Me, The Afters

* * *

It was hard to believe that three years had passed since she first started classes at the Academy. They seemed like the best years of her life, compared to all the shit she had gone through in college and high school. She had opted out of almost all the classes she took, and had earned the title of Liaison two years after her meeting with Captain Pike. To say that he wasn't impressed with how far she had come since their first meeting in the hospital was an understatement. She saw Pike as a father-figure, someone who was constantly watching out for her when something seemed out of place. And honestly, she was thankful for his support, considering she had never really had a father-figure where she came from.

Then there was Jim Kirk. She and Jim would always get into some kind of squabble every now and then, but moments later, burst out laughing at some joke either one of them made. The two of them had become close, like a brother and a sister always looking out for each other. Emily had to admit, she admired Kirk's love for freedom, and boldness to cross the lines when most Cadets would step back. Usually, she would step in and try to smooth things out before it ended in a fight with a fellow Cadet. But, if said Cadet instigated the fight, she would relentlessly defend her brother not-by-blood.

Finally, there was Leonard McCoy. The two of them seemed to dance around each other constantly. One minute they were fine, and the next, they were having some kind of shouting contest that would earn looks of confusion and concern from passing Cadets. Emily had a temper that could easily match Leonard's any day, and he began to realize that she could just as easily put him in his place.

That hadn't stopped either of them from exploring their relationship further than expected. Neither were willing to openly admit their feelings for each other. Emily was mostly afraid of how things would turn out, and Leonard had his own personal experiences with relationships ending very badly. So, they had decided to call it a 'friends with benefits' experience, instead. At any rate, it had worked out for the both of them.

Within three years, Emily had found herself a brother, and someone she considered as more than just a friend. The relationship between the three of them was almost uncanny. It confused the heck out of most people, because they saw them as the 'Terrible Trio', a nickname they had given themselves one night at the bar. Frankly, Emily wasn't all that surprised with their reactions when they saw her with Jim and Leonard. Some were confused, and some weren't all that surprised they got along so well… or tolerated each other.

She saw Jim as more than the annoying Cadet who was constantly getting under everyone's skin. Hell, she saw Leonard as more than just the grumpy doctor that everyone was terrified of. Emily knew that no matter what people saw in them, they were only human, and that made them both beautiful in their own way. What had always amazed Emily was how remarkably patient Leonard was. Oh, he had his moments with Jim, but for the most part, he tolerated the Cadet in a way most wouldn't.

Speaking of remarkable patience, Emily was wondering why Jim was so enthusiastic as he walked on her right side, while Leonard walked on her left side down the stairs of the Academy. His grin only told her that he was up to no good; having learned that Jim would often get into trouble after discussing one of his latest 'schemes'.

"Why are you so happy?" Leonard asked, clearly put off by his optimism.

Even _he_ knew that whenever Jim was this happy, it couldn't lead to anything good for either of them.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Jim answered, still grinning like an idiot.

"No, I don't suppose you do," Leonard rolled his eyes.

"Haven't you learned by now, Leonard?" Emily asked cheekily, shooting Jim a knowing look, "He _never_ knows what he's talking about."

"Ain't that the truth, darlin," Leonard smirked in agreement, but Jim wasn't deterred by their banter.

Hell, usually just about everything they said brushed off him like he had some kind of barrier protecting him. It was one of the many infuriating qualities about Jim Kirk that Emily secretly admired. She wished she possessed the same skills to brush off anything people said about her. It would make life that much easier.

"Hello, ladies," Jim greeted a couple of young Cadets passing by, to which Emily answered by flicking him behind the ear. By now, she had gotten used to seeing him flirt with any woman who passed by. She usually handled it with similar methods. "I'm taking the test again."

"You've gotta be kidding me?" Leonard scoffed, looking incredulous.

"Yeah, tomorrow morning, and I want you both there," Jim nodded to them, rubbing his ear where Emily had flicked him.

"Because watching you fail a third time is just _so_ entertaining," Emily rolled her eyes.

"I thought you got a kick out of watching me?" Jim asked cheekily.

Emily only glared back as she thought of the numerous times he would say that. Seeing the scowl written across Leonard's face told her he wasn't any happier with Jim's rash thinking.

"Jim, I've got better things to do than watch you embarrass yourself again for a third time," Leonard huffed in frustration, "I'm a doctor, Jim, I'm busy."

And he was constantly busy working shifts at the clinic. Because Leonard had received his MD and his PHD before enlisting in the Academy, he had fewer classes to take as a result. But it meant that he was also put to work the moment he enlisted. Emily hadn't been surprised when she heard Pike commenting over the fact that the doctor was a valuable asset to the Academy, and to the Fleet. Captains would more than likely be fighting for him on a position aboard their ships among senior medical staff.

"Not to mention I've got my work cut out with the advanced classes that I've been assigned to," she suddenly put in knowingly.

When Pike enrolled her as Liaison, he'd warned her ahead of time that she would have to take extra classes just to keep up with everyone else. She hadn't found that as much of a challenge. The classes had been surprisingly easy compared to figuring out what she wanted in the near future. But, some of the tests took time to study for. And that time was valuable at a place like Starfleet Academy. The only consolation she had was that her test scores were usually on par with Jim's test results.

"Come on, doesn't it bother either of you that no one's ever passed the test?" Jim asked, looking at the two friends curiously.

"Jim, it's the Kobyoshi Maru," Leonard reminded him, "No one passes the test, and goes back for seconds, let alone thirds."

"I gotta study."

Emily only rolled her eyes as Jim patted their shoulders and walked off, leaving the two of them behind.

"Study my ass," Emily scoffed under her breath, earning a smirk from Leonard as they both guessed what Jim was _really_ planning to do that night.

This wasn't the first time Jim had set himself up for embarrassment, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. Admittedly, Emily _did_ want to see him pass the test. She knew that it was impossible, as Leonard had pointed out. But, it would be good to prove the bastards who programmed it wrong. That was just another quality of Jim Kirk that she admired. The fact that he didn't quit once his mind was focused on the task ahead. And for Jim, when there was a will, he would always find a way.

She had long since suspected Jim would make a good Captain, if he was given the chance. He had all the qualities that would make a good Captain, if it wasn't for the reckless choices he sometimes made. Often times, she had heard Pike praising Kirk for his fine work, and he would ask how Kirk was doing. She never properly answered the questions, knowing that if Jim wanted to let him know how he was doing, he would have done it himself.

Once he was gone, she caught Leonard looking at her thoughtfully.

"Have you been having nightmares again?" Leonard frowned when he caught the look in her eyes, knowing full well she wouldn't admit the truth unless it was serious.

"Well, they only seem to go away when you're around," she admitted, rolling her eyes as they reached her dorm.

Kayla had opted to leave ever since finding out about their relationship. What had surprised Emily more than anything was that her old roommate had requested she keep the dorm to herself after she left. Had either of them been caught by any superior Officers, they both would have been reprimanded for their actions. Luckily, they had set up a routine for their nightly endeavors. Usually, they would switch dorms to keep anyone from getting suspicious, and had agreed to leave clothing in either dorm, just in case. Tonight was no different.

"Funny how that works, isn't it?" Leonard smirked once they were inside.

"Hm, what was it you said the first night?" she asked coyly, tilting her head to one side as she caught the classic raised eyebrow, "Something about having the 'magic touch'?"

"You and I both know it's more than that, darlin," he reminded her before wrapping his arms around waist to pull her close.

Even after three years of playing this song and dance, she could never get tired of the feeling of his hands around hers, or the warmth of his presence wrapping around her. She loved these little moments, as much as she would try and deny them. She would have never expected her life to turn out the way it had upon waking up in this world.

"So, what you're saying is, you don't mind these 'experiments'?" she murmured thoughtfully.

They had started off as that. But, eventually, it turned into something more. Neither of them were willing to admit out loud what it really was.

"Of course not," he laughed as his lips met hers in a firm kiss.

Her eyes closed for a brief moment as sparks flew between them. If ever there was a moment she wanted to last, it was right then and there. That familiar sensation of butterflies fluttering in her stomach kept rushing back each time their lips met. Nothing could have prepared her for the sensations Leonard provided her. Their tongues collided as often as their lips did, in a passionate show of dominance. She could already feel his hands exploring her, sending shivers of electricity through her.

Her hands traced along his neck as they reached the bed in their fevered moment. She had to bite back a soft moan when his lips traveled down her neck, reaching a spot in particular that left her fingers curling into fists.

They had never gotten this far into their intimacy. Emily had always stopped him at some point, often teasing him to the point of driving him wild. Tonight, was different. Her mind had already switched to a feeling of need as lust and passion took over. Through the blinding haze of the moment, she moved to pull his shirt off. The rest, however, was a different story. Her movements had been agonizingly slow, driving him wild once again.

"Something wrong, Leonard?" she asked, trailing her fingers along his waistline until she stopped for a brief moment.

"No, nothing's wrong," he moaned, groaning in frustration as she smirked and ground against him, slowly working off his belt and pants minutes later.

It took every ounce of self-control not to take her at that moment. The light teasing in her tone, and the playful laughter only egged him on as he worked off her outfit, using the same slow movements she'd been teasing him with seconds ago. If there was one thing Leonard knew how to do, it was tease her in the same manner she had teased him.

The moment she was released from the confinements of her uniform was when he took in her beauty, realizing himself that they had never gotten this far. She truly was beautiful, and there was no denying the mutual attraction they shared.

It wasn't long before they were both on the bed, where he continued tracing his kisses along her neckline, until reaching her lips. The friction of their bodies pressed against each other sent sparks through each of them, a movement that had come so naturally for them both.

"Are you sure?" he asked, pausing for a moment.

Despite the lust that had clouded his thoughts, he was still fully aware enough to not press further unless he had permission. It wasn't until he had asked that the lust and mischief had cleared in Emily's eyes, replaced with a look of admiration.

"You asked," she whispered, voice full of want and need, "And I say yes; I want _you_ , Leonard."

He didn't need to be told twice. Neither of them held back that night. The world could have been thrown into chaos at that moment, and neither would have cared. Because, at that moment, they had each other. And there was never a more beautiful sight.

…

Unaware of what had happened last night, Jim could barely keep the smirk from his face as he sat in the Captain's chair of the Kobyoshi Maru simulation room, studying the crew he had handpicked. Emily, Leonard, and Uhura, who was really determined to prove that there was nothing going on between herself and Kirk, had taken their positions as the test started. Though, Kirk himself had admitted that he couldn't ask for a better crew.

"We're receiving a distress signal from the USS Kobyoshi Maru," Uhura began, sounding as exasperated as Leonard and Emily had to be there again, "The ship has lost power and is stranded. Starfleet command has ordered us to rescue them."

"Starfleet command has ordered us to rescue them… _Captain_ ," he corrected Uhura, smirking at her in amusement.

"Two Klingon vessels are entering the neutral zone," Emily reported after reading the scanners, "They appear to be locking weapons on us."

"That's okay."

Emily felt herself tense at the calming way he responded. Something was definitely up. Leonard must have sensed it too, because he turned in his seat and looked at Jim skeptically.

"That's okay?"

There was an edge to his voice as he tried to remain stoic throughout the test. Seeing the coy look written across Jim's face didn't help matters. She knew he wasn't up to any good when it came to treating the test as if it was just a game.

"Yeah, don't worry about it."

"Three more Klingon warbirds decloaking and targeting our ship, Captain," Emily called, ignoring the coy look he gave her after referring to him as 'Captain'.

"I don't suppose this is a problem, either?" Leonard asked dryly.

"And now they're firing," Emily sighed, knowing this wouldn't end well. "You know, it's a times like these when you're supposed to step up and treat this seriously."

She added the last part under her breath, though the look Leonard threw her told her that he'd heard.

Once again, they had wasted their time taking the test for a third time, and Jim was just making a fool of himself. At this point, even the people sitting at the main console of the test were probably getting tired of seeing Jim fail so many times.

"Alert medical bay to prepare to receive all crew members from the damaged ship," Kirk ordered, turning to Uhura.

"And how do you expect us to rescue them when we're surrounded by Klingons?" she retorted, narrowing her eyes as if saying the title disgusted her, " _Captain_."

"Alert medical," he repeated with a wave of his hand.

"Our ship is being hit!" Leonard shouted as the simulation room shook, sparks flying everywhere. That was a new touch. Emily winced as she realized they must have upped the simulation after Jim had failed the first few times, "Shields at sixty percent."

"I understand," Kirk nodded, once again sounding far too calm for his own good.

"Well, shouldn't we, I don't know, fire back?" Leonard gave him a piercing look that said he better do something.

"Hm…" Jim paused for a moment, pulling out an apple from his pocket and taking a bite out of it, "Nope."

"Of course not," Leonard grumbled with a shake of his head.

Emily froze when the lights suddenly flickered on and off. The power suddenly seemed to switch off for just a brief second before turning back on. She caught the look in Jim's eyes, having seen that look far too many times before.

 _Whatever you've done, keep me out of it_ , she begged silently, not wanting to get into trouble for the umpteenth time. He'd dragged her into far too many messes for her to want anything to do with this one. The Council wasn't going to be happy if they found out that he'd hacked into their mainframe. The worst part of it was that he wasn't above punishment. He didn't seem to realize just how serious of a problem this would be if it changed the outcome of the test.

"Hm. Arm photons. Prepare to fire on the Klingon warbirds," he ordered.

"Yes, sir," Uhura replied.

"Jim, their shields are still up," Leonard reminded him.

"Are they?"

Leonard frowned as he looked at the screen once again, "No, they're not."

"Fire on all enemy ships," Jim stood, "One photon each should do it, so don't waste ammunition."

"Firing," Emily sighed with a shake of her head, leaning to tap the commands in. Every Cadet was required to work some time on the bridge; she was not an exception. They were taught the most basic commands; in the event an emergency might occur. "Target locked and acquired on all warbirds."

She watched the screen where the window that appeared as if they were actually flying through space, showed all of the warbirds being blasted to pieces.

"All ships destroyed, Captain," Uhura announced.

"Begin rescue of the stranded crew," he ordered after nodding in approval. It was really hard to keep a straight face after all of that. Emily tried to shrink in her seat as Jim turned and looked around, "So, we've managed to eliminate all enemy ships, no one on board was injured, and the successful rescue of the Kobyoshi Maru crew is under way."

She finally found the courage to turn and see the programmers gaping at him. Just how the hell was he able to beat the unbeatable test?

* * *

 **AN: I'm not sure what readers are going to think of this... obviously I don't normally write romance or smut, but I wanted to experiment... so, hopefully, it's not too much. And, hopefully, the major-time skip isn't too much of a distraction from the actually story. But, now, we're moving onto the first movie :D**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

Emily let out a sigh of frustration as she made her way towards one of the lecture halls of the Academy where a meeting was being held. She already had a feeling she knew who the meeting was about. It wouldn't be the first time Council had debated whether he get kicked out for his antics. Luckily, Captain Pike usually stood up for him during those instances. But, she knew that this time the measure of punishment would be serious.

For all that it was worth, Kirk was not immune to getting severely punished. And messing around with the Kobyoshi Maru was likely the main reason behind this meeting. Somehow, Kirk was able to reprogram the simulation, and he had cheated on it.

She took the only empty seat next to Leonard. They shared a knowing look, having both guessed who this meeting was about. After being dragged into Jim's mess multiple times before, Emily was suddenly thankful that he'd left them out this time. She had a feeling that he was going to suffer the consequences for hacking into the Kobyoshi Maru. While she had no physical evidence that he'd pulled off that stunt, Emily had no doubt that he was capable of doing so.

"Damn kid is really in for it, this time," Leonard muttered under his breath as the Council took their seats.

"He never learns," she nodded in agreement once the head of Council – Admiral Barnett – took the stand.

"This session has been called to resolve a troubling matter," he began once everyone had quieted down, "James T. Kirk, step forward."

Jim frowned as he took his place at the 'defendant's' podium. Emily sank further into her seat as she realized he had no idea what this was about. She was just thankful she hadn't gotten involved in it. Admiral Marcus was the one who had accepted her into Starfleet when Captain Pike brought up her enlistment. She knew that he could just as easily kick her out, and then she'd literally have nowhere to go. It was just one of the many downsides to not being from this world, and having been torn away from her own. There were times when having some kind of contingency plan would have come in handy during such a situation.

The one good thing about this world was that jobs were somewhat similar to what she would have looked for where she came from. If worse came to worse, she would have likely found a job and tried to eek out a living.

"Cadet Kirk, evidence has been submitted to this council, suggesting that you violated the ethical code of conduct pursuing to regulation 17.43 of the Starfleet code," Barnett read from the files that were given to him. Emily couldn't help but frown when she realized what the violating terms were. Regulation 17.43 meant that Jim would likely face academic suspension as punishment. Though, it could be a more severe punishment depending on how he handled the trial, "Is there anything you care to say, before we begin?"

"Yes," Kirk replied and leaned forward, "I believe I have the right to face my accuser directly."

She winced at that, knowing full well this could end in a fight. And she already had a sneaky suspicion who filed the report on his misconduct. Said accuser happened to be sitting at the front of the gathered crowd, a few seats away from where she and Leonard were sitting.

"Step forward, please," Barnett gestured to the stranger in question. After spending nearly three years in this world, she would still never grow accustomed to the fact that there were other worlds out there, and that this accuser happened to be _Vulcan_. The pointy ears reminded her all too much of what an elf or something along those lines would look like. "This is Commander Spock. He is one of our most distinguished graduates. He's programmed the Kobyoshi Maru exam for the last four years. Commander?"

"Cadet Kirk," Commander Spock greeted him formally. Any other Star Trek fan would be fangirling at this moment if they happened to recognize him. Emily just rolled her eyes, having already tried avoiding Spock at all costs throughout those three years. Didn't help that he had taught some of the classes she took, and he had questioned her credentials on more than one occasion. "You somehow managed to install and activate a subroutine in the programming code, thereby changing the conditions of the test."

"Your point being?" Jim narrowed his eyes, trying to keep a straight face as Spock remained stoic as ever under his glare.

"In academic vernacular… You cheated."

"Let me ask you something, I think we all know the answer to. The test itself is a cheat, isn't it?" Jim asked. "You programmed it to be unwinnable."

Emily narrowed her eyes at that. He did have a good point, there. The test was unwinnable, and to a point, it was also unfair. But, something told her that wasn't the point of the test. When Spock had orchestrated the test, it was meant to show whether or not individuals could handle being placed under the pressure. More so, it was to also show how one would handle failing a mission of such extremes.

"Your argument precludes the possibility of a no-win scenario," Spock defended himself.

"I don't believe in no-win scenarios."

Once again, as much as Emily hated to admit it, that was one of the many qualities of James T. Kirk that she admired. He may be a reckless jerk at times with a bad reputation, but he didn't usually take shit from anyone without fighting back.

"Then not only did you violate the rules, you also failed to understand the principle lesson," Spock remarked, narrowing his eyes for just a moment.

"Please, enlighten me."

"You of all people should know, Cadet Kirk, a Captain cannot cheat death."

 _Ouch_. Emily couldn't help but glare at Spock when he pointed out the one thing would only jar him on. Jim's father had been killed when the USS Kelvin was attacked by a race known as the Romulans. He sacrificed himself so that the crew members, along with Jim's mother and himself could escape. Jim rarely talked about his father for that reason, along with the fact that people always seemed to try and compare him to his father's work aboard the Kelvin.

"I of all people?" Jim asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Your father, Lieutenant George Kirk, assumed command of his vessel before being killed in action, did he not?"

Kirk's jaw tensed at that, and Emily was afraid he might actually punch Spock right then and there. She knew he had better restraint than that, but the thought of him actually doing so sent shivers of unease through her. A fight would only ensure getting kicked out of the Academy.

"I don't think you like the fact that I beat your test."

"Furthermore, you have failed to define the purpose of the test," Spock went on, ignoring his jibe.

"Enlighten me, again," Jim retorted, his expression impossible to read.

"Fear in the face of certain death," Spock replied without missing a beat, "To accept that fear and maintain control of oneself and one's crew. This is a quality expected in every Starfleet captain."

Before Jim could make another comeback and make things worse than they already were, a young man strode across the room and reached Barnett.

"Excuse me, sir," he apologized for interrupting the meeting and handed him a note.

Emily stiffened when she noticed how nervous the young man looked as he threw a cautious look in Spock's direction. The look went by unnoticed, but she could sense the inevitable. Dangers were always ever-present in the world of space exploration. She couldn't deny that when she knew what she was signing up for. Barnett's frown deepened as he read the letter quickly.

"We've received a distress call from Vulcan," he announced after standing up. Spock stiffened at that, and Emily suddenly understood why the young Cadet had looked so fearful, "With our primary fleet engaged in the Laurentian system, I hereby order all cadets to report to Hangar One immediately. Dismissed!"

"Who was that pointy-eared bastard?" Jim muttered the moment Spock had rushed off, and Emily and Leonard joined him.

"I don't know, but I like him," Leonard replied, all too amused that Kirk had finally gotten caught doing something wrong.

"Commander Spock," Emily sighed as she watched the room clear out. "He's Vulcan, which explains why he's so anxious to help his planet." She paused as she realized that this was actually happening, that this was what she had been preparing for the last three years. "And like it or not, he needs our help," she added.

"Of course he does," Jim muttered with a roll of his eyes, though he looked surprised that she would know who Spock was.

Without another word, the three of them made their way to the Hangar.

…

The three of them stood in the Hangar of the Academy, listening as all the Cadets were called off to their stations. Commanding Officers were barking orders left and right to those who were under their supervision. Other Cadets were already heading to their assigned shuttles, while others still were preparing for the launches.

Throughout the three years of classes that semester, Emily was not prepared for the fact that this was happening. A real attack on Vulcan meant that everyone was to report and prepare for the worse. Before waking up in this world, the worst thing that could have happened to her was failing a class. She hadn't realized until that moment just how much stress she felt. Knowing what lay ahead made it that much worse when she understood the huge risks they were taking.

The chaos inside the Hangar was almost overwhelming. She was thankful to have friends with her at that moment. Emily found herself realizing that she would have likely panicked had she not been better prepared for this moment. Feeling Leonard stand next to her, with Jim on her other side, made it strangely reassuring.

"Regula, I. Tracy USS Farragut, McCoy, USS Enterprise, Hayes, USS Enterprise, Spader, USS Hood," the man barking orders finished reading off the list of Cadets who were to report to whatever Starship they were assigned to. "Welcome to Starfleet. Godspeed," the man saluted before the group dispersed, leaving the three of them standing there.

Emily breathed out a sigh of relief as she realized she would at least be on the same ship as Leonard. But, then she frowned as she realized Jim's name hadn't been called. That could only mean he'd been placed on academic suspension. Academic suspension, it meant he couldn't partake in any Starfleet or Academy events, and especially not even rescue missions. Though really, she wasn't surprised with the outcome of that trial. Considering how many other times Jim had gotten himself, and them, in trouble, she was amazed he'd gotten away with what he had in the past.

"He didn't call my name," Jim frowned as well, looking more than confused. "Commander!" Emily shook her head as he rushed off to the Commander. "Commander, sir, you didn't call my name, Kirk, James T."

"Kirk, you're on academic suspension, that means you're grounded," the Commander replied. Jim just stared at him for a few seconds. "Until the Academy board rules."

The moment the Commander had left was when Emily noticed the look in Jim's eyes. A look that reminded her all too much of someone who'd just lost the match. She knew how much it had meant for him to actually be on a ship, and take part in the explorations that made Starfleet famous. Before all of this, Jim would always talk about how much he wanted to explore deep-space, and become Captain of whatever ship he was assigned to. Now, it didn't seem like that dream was a possibility.

"The board'll rule in your favor," Leonard tried reassuring him. Emily looked at him doubtfully, knowing Jim's track record of all the things he had done. Every semester it seemed as if each new scheme had outdone the last. "Most likely." He glanced at Jim, before looking back at Emily, who only shook her head. "Look, Jim, we have to go."

"Yeah," Kirk shook himself out of his thoughts, "Get going. Be safe."

Emily rolled her eyes when he gave them a sad smile and walked off dejectedly.

"Drama queen," she muttered under her breath.

Yet, she was reluctant to head off to the shuttle. After everything they had been through together, somehow leaving Jim behind didn't feel right. They had always talked about going into space together. While they may not have known what ship they would be assigned to, the thought had provided a little comfort to the situation. Now, she knew that leaving him behind felt wrong purely because she and Leonard had been assigned to the same ship.

"Dammit," Leonard huffed before glancing at her, "Get to the shuttle, I'll meet you there."

She looked at him in surprise before deciding to heed his warning, having already guessed what he planned on doing.

 _Jim, you're a lucky bastard with a good friend_ , she thought with a roll of her eyes.

Once she had boarded the shuttle and was safely secured, she took a deep breath and thought of what was about to happen. Anything to distract her from the actual events that would take place was better than just waiting.

She had known from the start of enlisting that this would eventually happen. Yet, nothing could prepare her for the actual dangers that lay ahead. The more she thought about it, the more she wished that she was back in her own universe. Only a few minutes had passed before Leonard had finally arrived, tugging Jim along the way.

"Do I even want to know?" she asked when Leonard took a seat next to her, placing Jim next to a window.

Looked like he was having a reaction from something, and if she had to guess, Leonard had injected him with some kind of vaccine. Given Jim's medical history, she had a sneaky suspicion it could be just about anything.

"No, you really don't," said doctor replied with a smirk of amusement.

A few minutes later and the shuttle took off. Emily flinched from the sudden jolt, her hand reaching for whatever it could grip. Her teeth ground together until the shuttle had finally lifted off the ground as Leonard squeezed her hand, having already guessed what was on her mind. She had never openly admitted that she was terrified of cramped spaces, and while the shuttle was by no means cramped or small, it still made her feel uneasy.

The moment the shuttle had launched into space was when Emily found herself relaxing a little more. She was still nervous, though. While she had flown in a plane many times before, it was just that, a plane. She always knew planes were safe and reliable. This was something entirely different.

"Still afraid of these metal death traps?" she asked halfheartedly, hoping to lighten the mood while Jim kept looking as if he was about to hurl.

"You have no idea," he replied with a roll of his eyes.

"I might throw up on you," Jim warned them.

Emily leaned back against her seat, just as Leonard was peering through the tiny window looking out into space. If she leaned back enough, she could make out what looked like a huge ship docked in a large station.

To say the Enterprise was impressive was an understatement. Her eyes widened in amazement as she tried taking the whole thing in. It was like nothing she had ever seen in person, with a huge, circular shape that made up most of the ship, and two huge thrusters on the back to lift it through the vast expanse of space. The ship, in a sense, was one of the most amazing sights Emily had ever seen in person. She almost wished that Julia could have seen this in person.

"Jim, you've gotta see this," Leonard tapped Jim's shoulder. "Jim, look."

"What?" was the only response he received.

"Whoa," both he and Emily had said at the same time.

Once the shuttle had docked, they headed straight for the medbay, ignoring the chaos around them and trying to get Jim to medbay before they were caught by any superior officers. The whole situation would have been hilarious, if it wasn't for the fact that Leonard could get into serious trouble for bringing Jim with him if he was caught red-handed. That was part of the reason Emily had chosen to go with them.

"I don't feel right," Jim gasped out as they wove their way through the crowd. "I feel like I'm leaking."

"Leonard," Emily warned when she spotted Spock approaching them, knowing full-well the Vulcan would report them for harboring a Cadet who was on academic suspension.

"Damn, it's that pointy-eared bastard," he muttered crossly, guiding Jim out of the way.

The extensive hallways and turbolifts were really what had thrown Emily off. She would have gotten more than confused and lost, and was thankful to follow Leonard without getting called off to her station. She found the whole thing overwhelming, until they reached a familiar area that could pass off as a hospital.

"Where are we?" Jim asked as Leonard finally set him down.

"Medical bay," he replied.

"This isn't worth it," Jim muttered, earning a smirk of amusement from Emily.

"A little suffering is good for the soul," Leonard retorted.

"My mouth is itchy, is that normal?"

"Well, those symptoms won't last long." Emily leaned against a wall with her arms crossed, still amazed with Leonard's patience as he reached for a sedative. Jim was probably one of the few people Leonard had patience for, though it wasn't much, when she thought about it. "I'm going to give you a mild sedative."

"Oh, I wish I didn't know you," Jim groaned.

"Don't be such an infant," Leonard rolled his eyes as he applied the sedative.

"How long is this supposed to…"

If it wasn't for the situation, Emily would have burst out laughing when Jim fell back on the bed, out cold from the sedative. She hadn't realized until that moment how sweet the silence actually was. Hearing Jim's complaints about what Leonard put him through just to get on board the Enterprise hadn't helped matters. At least now they had a valid excuse for him being on the ship with them.

"Unbelievable."

"He'll be thanking you later," she reassured him with a sheepish grin.

"Doubtful," he retorted, but he looked amused, nonetheless. "How are _you_ feeling, about all of this?" he asked, suddenly turning into the serious doctor once more.

She flinched and looked down at the floor, having already guessed that subject would be brought up. Considering this was all entirely new territory, she was surprised that she hadn't started panicking yet. Her mind was still spinning with shock over the fact that an attack was actually happening. And more so that they were actually in space. There was one point in her life when she thought that wouldn't have been possible.

"Honestly, it's overwhelming," she admitted after taking a deep breath. "Nothing where I came from prepared me for this. Or anything else from this world, for that matter."

"You'll be fine," he reassured her with a charming smile.

Jim may have his own award-winning smile, but a smile from Leonard was like a gift, and Emily took it in stride.

"This coming from the doctor with aviaphobia," she smirked, not missing the characteristic eye-roll that followed.

"Don't remind me," he muttered crossly, kissing her on the forehead before she left.

She was supposed to report to the bridge, since Pike had assigned her as a Liaison, who could work in all fields throughout the ship. Of course, whether or not she could actually reach the bridge without getting lost was a whole different question.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

" _We are dead to rights born and raised, We are thick and thin 'til our last days So hold me close and I'll surrender to your heart, You know how to give and how to take..._ " - Raging Fire, Phillip Phillips

* * *

Getting lost on a Starship was never a good thing. Emily frowned as she looked around, trying to get her bearings. She had to reach the bridge before the ship went to warp. Unfortunately, that task was easier said than done. Not having a familiar sense of direction was definitely gonna be the death of her one of these days. She should have known better than to go on a ship without studying the interior first. Knowing how large the Enterprise was to begin with hadn't helped. Now, she needed to keep a level head and focus on the task ahead.

 _Don't they have maps on these things_? she wondered as she reached yet another dead end. Of course they wouldn't. It was expected of every Starfleet Officer to know where they were going, whether the ship was new or not. Emily chewed the bottom of her lip as she realized just how much of a fool she probably looked. Fellow crew members were giving her strange looks as she walked past, others heading for their own stations in a rush.

She was beginning to think she would never reach her destination when a voice sounded through the com, "All decks, this is Captain Pike," the voice of Captain Pike came bursting through the com, "Prepare for immediate departure. Helm thrusters."

She finally turned towards another hallway, just as the ship suddenly gave a gentle jolt that signaled they'd made it into warp. Grabbing hold of the nearest structure she could find, she took a deep breath and tried to keep calm. The sensation of the ship going into warp was like nothing she had ever felt before. Shaking her head as she tried to rid herself of the dizziness, she spotted a familiar looking Cadet making her way to her station.

"Are you alright?" Uhura paused in her stride, eyes narrowed with concern when she noticed how pale Emily looked.

"I'm fine," she muttered crossly as the dizziness began to fade.

Uhura looked like she was about to say something else when a new voice spoke through the com.

"May I have your attention please," a heavy Russian accent spoke, signaling that Chekov had taken the com, "At 2200 hours, telemetry detected an anomaly in the neutral zone. Vhat appeared to be a lightning storm in space. Soon after, Starfleet received a distress signal from the Wulcan high command that their planet was experiencing seismic actiwity. Our mission is to assess the condition of Wulcan and assist in ewacuations if necessary. Ve should be arriving at Wulcan within three minutes. Thank you for your time."

Lightning storm… why did that sound so familiar?

"Look, you should really report to medical if something's bothering you," Uhura suggested with a roll of her eyes.

"I'm fine," Emily repeated herself.

Well, it was technically true. She was more anxious about reaching her station than anything else, and of course, she had no idea where she was going. Last thing she wanted was to make it seem like she was lost, even though she technically was. Maybe, she _should_ have done more studies on Starship interiors, just to keep herself from getting stuck in this situation. The only consolation she had was that once she figured out how to get around places, she would always remember which paths to take.

"Dammit, Jim, I need you to slow down!" Her eyes widened at the sound of a familiar, gruff voice.

"Uhura!"

Emily crossed her arms the moment Jim had reached them. The wild look in his eyes told her that he must have just woken up, and judging by how pissed off Leonard looked when he reached them, that much was obvious. Considering Jim wasn't even supposed to be on the ship, and he would likely be sent to the brig if caught by Spock or even Pike, she understood why Leonard was so annoyed with his antics. Getting caught was one thing, but Leonard could face serious consequences for dragging Jim aboard the ship with him.

"Kirk, what are you doing here?" Uhura asked, narrowing her eyes as she already took a wild guess.

"That transmission from the Klingon planet, what exactly did it say?" Jim asked, ignoring her question.

"My God, what's wrong with your hands?" Emily asked once she'd noticed his hands were swollen to twice their size.

"Look… who is responsible for the Klingon attack?"

Emily only rolled her eyes as she realized he was probably having a reaction to whatever vaccine Leonard had given him. The moment it sounded as if Jim was uttering nonsense from his mouth told her he had a case of numb tongue. She would have found the whole thing hilarious, especially when he shot Leonard a mutinous glare, if it wasn't for the situation.

"I can fix that!" Leonard exclaimed before rushing off to grab the vaccine.

"Jim, was the ship what?" Emily asked after taking a deep breath, hoping to smooth things out.

It took a few seconds for them both to understand what he was trying to say. The more Jim tried punctuating each word to make it easier for them to understand, the harder it was not to laugh at his predicament. She did feel a little sorry for him. It wasn't as if he'd asked to suffer from an allergic reaction to a vaccination. He just had a horrible immune system; Leonard was still learning which treatments worked for him, and which didn't.

"Romulans?" Uhura asked in surprise.

"Yeah," Jim replied before wincing as Leonard suddenly applied another vaccine. "Damn it!"

"What's going on?" Leonard asked as Jim and Uhura made their way to the bridge.

"I've got a vague idea," Emily replied with a shake of her head.

She just hoped that she was wrong. While she may not have seen the movie, she had heard enough rumors in her universe that the planet Vulcan was destroyed in the movie. No one had mentioned who was behind the devastation, but if what Kirk said was true, then she knew something had to be done.

"Captain! Captain Pike, sir, we have to stop this ship," Jim called out the moment they had reached the bridge.

"Kirk, how the hell did you get aboard the Enterprise?" Captain Pike demanded, sounding furious.

"Captain," Leonard tried to explain as Pike looked at him expectantly, "This man's under the influence of a severe reaction of a Melvaran flea vaccine, completely delusional. I take full responsibility."

"Vulcan is not experiencing a natural disaster!" Kirk snapped, confirming Emily's worst fears. "It's being attacked by Romulans!"

"Romulans?" Captain Pike scoffed. "Cadet Kirk, I think you've had enough attention for one day. McCoy, take him back to medical with you. We'll have words later."

Emily couldn't help but wince at that, having already guessed where that conversation would lead.

"Aye, Captain," Leonard nodded and began to pull a struggling Jim away, but he was determined to prove his point.

"Look, sir, that anomaly—"

"Mr. Kirk…" Emily glanced up in surprise, and held back a groan when Spock arrived on the bridge, "is not cleared to be aboard this vessel, Captain."

She rolled her eyes as Kirk made a snappy comeback. If he was trying to get on the Captain's good side again, it wasn't working. Yet, she wished there was a way to explain that he was telling the truth without giving herself away. It would make things ten times easier, and it would give the Captain a good idea as to what kind of threat Vulcan was facing. Maybe, reciting the dissertation Pike had written years ago would help.

"I can remove the Cadet," Spock turned to Pike, ignoring whatever crude remarks Kirk made.

"Try it! This Cadet is trying to save the bridge!" Kirk snapped.

"By recommending a full stop mid-warp during a rescue mission?" Spock narrowed his eyes, and it took everything Emily had not to flinch when his gaze traveled from Kirk to her.

"It's a trap," she finally spoke up, after running the scenario through her mind multiple times, earning looks of surprise from everyone. "This isn't a rescue, it's a trap; we're headed straight for an attack."

If memory served correctly, something similar to this had happened when the USS Kelvin was under attack. It also meant that what Kirk had said earlier was all-the-truer. The crew needed to be prepared for just about anything when it came to an attack like this. Emily had no doubt in the back of her mind that Jim was right; this was an ambush they were flying into.

"Based on what facts?"

"That same anomaly, a lightning storm in space that we saw today, also occurred on the day of my birth," Jim explained after giving Emily the slightest nod of thanks. "Before a Romulan ship attacked the USS Kelvin. You know that, sir. We've read your dissertation."

At least that was the truth. They had read the dissertation one day during class when the instructor had been giving a particularly boring lecture on the history of the Federation. She hadn't been surprised to find the dissertation far more interesting than the lecture. Not to mention, that dissertation had given her a vital piece of information on Jim's past. He hadn't been too keen on opening up about his past in the first place. When she finally found out what had happened to the USS Kelvin and why his father was considered such a hero, she understood why he didn't want anything to do with those lectures. It was clear that Jim didn't want the Academy comparing him to his father.

 _He'd rather be treated as his own person than to be compared to someone he doesn't know_ , she reminded herself silently. She couldn't blame him for wanting to avoid that kind of outcome. Cadets at the Academy were so quick to judge based on someone's personal history and the way they acted during class. All three of them had been constantly placed under the radar because of the rumors that would often spread.

"That ship, which had formidable and advanced weaponry, was never seen or heard from again," Emily added, recalling the dissertation she had read the first semester.

"The Kelvin attack took place on the edge of Klingon space, and at 2300 last night there was an attack. Forty seven Klingon warbirds destroyed by Romulans, sir. And it was reported that the Romulans were in one ship, one massive ship," Jim finished.

Captain Pike shook his head, feeling both amused and baffled at the way these two were constantly defending each other. He'd heard enough rumors about the 'Terrible Trio' around the Academy to know that somehow, Kirk and Hayes were involved. The fact that they were able to recite his dissertation and relentlessly defend each other did impress him.

"And you know of this Klingon attack, how?" he asked, looking at Kirk seriously.

"Sir," Uhura spoke up, "I intercepted and translated the message myself. Kirk's report is accurate."

Pike looked down for a moment, processing the information Uhura, Kirk and Hayes had confirmed.

"The Cadets' logic is sound. And Lieutenant Uhura is unmatched in xenolinguistics. We would be wise to accept her conclusion," Spock remarked.

 _Saying that had to hurt_ , Emily thought with a roll of her eyes. Pike nodded at that before turning to the man standing by communications. He looked nervous, and judging from the face he made, Emily could only guess that he wasn't used to being put on the spotlight.

"Scan Vulcan space for any transmissions in Romulan," he ordered.

"Sir, I'm not sure I can distinguish the Romulan language from Vulcan," the man sitting at communications admitted.

 _Exactly how did he become a xenolinguist_? Emily nearly rolled her eyes at the thought, knowing she shouldn't be so quick to judge. When she first woke up in this world, she had little to no knowledge of what was happening. Even now, she was still trying to get used to the fact that this was actually happening.

"What about you?" he asked, turning to Uhura. "Can you speak Romulan, Cadet?"

"Uhura, and all three dialects, sir," she replied with a nod.

"Uhura, relieve the Lieutenant."

"Yes, sir," she nodded once more and did just that.

"Hannity," Pike turned to one of the other Cadets, "Hail the USS Truman."

The man tapped a few buttons and frowned at the readings that followed, "All the other ships are out of warp, sir, and we have arrived at Vulcan, but we seemed to have lost all contact."

"Sir," Uhura began, "I'm not picking up any Romulan transmission…" She paused and glanced at both Emily and Kirk. Emily swallowed back the fear that threatened to show when she realized something was seriously wrong, "Or transmissions of _any_ kind in the area."

"It's because they're being attacked," Jim pointed out.

Pike looked at Jim thoughtfully, before finally deciding to heed his warning, "Shields up. Red alert," he ordered.

Emily breathed out a sigh of relief at that. If there was one thing she had learned about Jim over the last couple of years, it was that he could usually figure things out faster than most Cadets. And, if his theory was true, they were headed straight for a trap. He reached for her hand, holding it and squeezing it gently, silently thanking her for her support. Words weren't really needed at this point. By now, they had both started treating each other like brother and sister, looking out for one another.

"Arrival in Vulcan," Sulu announced after taking his position at the helm, "In five seconds… four… three… two…"

Nothing could have prepared Emily for the horror that would follow. Everyone on the bridge gaped at the grizzly sight before them. Debris from other Starships floated in the dark expanse of space, along with the bodies of other Cadets drifting past. Everything looked as though they had been torn apart.

"My God," was all she could whisper, wishing she could close her eyes from the sight.

"Emergency evasive!" Pike was the first to snap out of his shock and gave the order as chunks of debris floated towards them.

"Running, sir," a Cadet reported.

"Damage report!"

"Deflector shields are holding."

"All stations," he gave the command, and the room sprang into action within seconds as he spoke through the com, "Engineer Olson, report!"

"Full reverse," a voice came through the com from engineering, "Come about starboard about ninety degrees, drop us underneath and…"

"Captain, they're locking torpedoes," Spock reported.

"Divert auxiliary power from port nacelles to forward shields," Pike gave the order, only for the room to jolt as the torpedoes were fired into the ship. "Sulu, status report!"

"Shields at thirty two percent," Sulu reported, "They're weapons are powerful, sir. We can't take another hit like that."

"Get me Starfleet Command."

"Captain," Spock shook his head, "The Romulan ship has lowered some kind of high energy pulse device into the Vulcan atmosphere. Its signal appears to be blocking our communications and transporter abilities."

Well, that only confirmed what Uhura had reported earlier about not finding any transmissions. A shiver of dread swept through Emily as she wondered if this would truly be the end. She couldn't shake off the overwhelming sense of fear, as reality quickly came crashing down on her.

"All power to forward shields. Prepare to fire all weapons."

"Captain," Uhura called, "We're being hailed."

 _This all just went from bad to worse_ , Emily thought as Pike looked at her and Jim before giving Uhura a nod. She had never actually _met_ a Romulan in person, but she'd seen enough pictures to know what they looked like. The viewscreen blinked to life and revealed a bald man with dark eyes, and tattoos that clearly marked his race.

"Hello," the man greeted.

"I'm Captain Christopher Pike," Pike introduced himself, "To whom am I speaking?"

"Hi, Christopher. I'm Nero."

"You've declared war against the Federation. Withdraw. I'll agree to arrange a conference with Romulan leadership at a neutral location."

Nero only scoffed at that, "I do not speak for the Empire. We stand apart, as does your Vulcan crew member." His eyes narrowed as he looked at Spock pointedly, "Isn't that right, Spock?"

"Pardon me," Spock began, frowning as he stepped forward while eyeing Nero curiously, "I do not believe that you and I are acquainted."

"No, we're not," Nero agreed. "Not yet. Spock, there's something I would like you to see. Captain Pike, your transporter has been disabled. As you can see by the rest of your armada, you have no choice. You will man a shuttle, come aboard the Narada for negotiations." Emily felt herself tense at that. She'd read from the dissertation that the Captain of the USS Kelvin was killed doing the same thing. She had no doubts that Nero wouldn't hesitate to kill Pike once he'd gained enough information. "That is all."

"They'll kill you," Kirk pointed out the moment Pike had started contemplating Nero's request. "You know that."

"Your survival _is_ unlikely," even Spock had to agree with Jim on that one.

"Captain," Jim stepped up, "We gain nothing in diplomacy."

"Going onto that ship would be suicide," Emily added, firmly believing there had to be another way around this.

"I too, agree. You should rethink your strategy."

"I understand that," Pike replied before looking around the bridge, "I need officers who have been trained in advanced hand-to-hand combat."

"I have training, sir," Sulu raised his hand.

"Come with me, Kirk. You're not supposed to be here, anyway. Chekov, you have the com."

"Aye aye, Captain," the young Russian boy replied.

"I'm going too."

Pike eyed her cautiously, while Jim looked equally surprised as she felt for speaking up. Of course, she did know forms of martial arts, along with multiple ways to defend herself against an attack. She hadn't gone to college for three years without learning some kind of self-defense. Plus, she and Kirk had sparred together at the gym multiple times.

"Are you sure?" Pike asked.

"You need people with hand-to-hand combat," she replied with a nod, "I've had years of self-defense training before signing up for the Academy."

A lot of good it had done her when those creatures had taken her. Though, in her defense, the bastard that took her had appeared out of nowhere. Plus, it had been late at night, and her mind was still trying to work out how to finish the thesis the professor had assigned her with.

"Fine, come with us," he gestured for her to follow, and she did just that.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

Pike led the way through engineering, Sulu, Kirk, Emily and Engineer Olson trailing after him, all of them dressed in space-jump suits. Olson and Emily were in red, Sulu in yellow, Jim in blue. From what Emily had gathered, they had a short window of opportunity to take down the drill that was currently wreaking havoc on Planet Vulcan. She planned on doing whatever it took to stop Nero from succeeding in whatever he was planning, even if it meant her life.

"Without transporters," Pike began explaining the situation and what was expected of them all, "We can't beam off this ship, we can't assist Vulcan, we can't do our job. Cadets, Liaison Hayes, you will space-jump from the shuttle. You will land on that machine they lowered into the atmosphere that's scrambling our gear. You'll get inside. You'll disable it, then you'll beam back to the ship. Mr. Spock," he paused and tapped on the com, "I'm leaving you in command of the Enterprise. Once we have transport capabilities, communications back up, you'll contact Starfleet, report what the hell is going on here. And, if all else fails, rendezvous with the Fleet in the Laurentian system. Kirk," he paused once again and looked at Jim, "I'm promoting you to First Officer."

"What?" Jim blinked in surprise.

"Because he doesn't have a big enough ego," Emily muttered under her breath.

Though, she really wasn't surprised with Pike's choice. After all, Jim was the one who had foreseen the attack, and he was right about the Romulans being behind it. She was also aware of how much Pike had praised Jim for his skills at the Academy during their meetings. Since he knew how close they were, he would often ask questions about how Jim was doing and whether or not he'd improved over the years.

"Captain," Spock's voice sounded through the com, "Please, I apologize. The complexities of human pranks escape me."

Emily almost laughed at that, until she realized he was serious. She swallowed hard after reminding herself that Vulcans didn't understand the difference between human-made jokes and whether they were being serious. Not for the first time, she had to keep telling herself that it wasn't fair to judge Spock based on what he did know and what he didn't know.

"It's not a prank, Spock," Pike reassured him. "And I'm not the Captain. You are. Let's go."

"Sir," Jim asked as they reached the shuttle, "After we knock out the drill, what happens to you?"

"I guess you'll have to come and get me," Pike replied, giving Jim a reassuring smile. Emily felt herself tense as she realized this really could be the last time they saw him. She didn't want to believe it, but, reality was always harsher than it needed to be. "Careful with the ship, Spock. She's brand new."

As they climbed into the belly of the shuttle, Emily tried to take deep breaths as she stood between Jim and Sulu. This was what she had been preparing for at the Academy. Yet, that didn't help the small spark of fear slowly rising in her chest. To make matters worse, Captain Pike shouldn't be giving himself up so easily, but he was buying them enough time to stop the drill, and hopefully save Vulcan. Yet, she had a feeling they could only do so much at once. She sent a silent prayer that things would work out in the end. That Planet Vulcan and Captain Pike would be safe after all of this.

"Shuttle 8-9," they looked up at the sound of a crew member speaking to them, "USS Enterprise, you are cleared forward…"

Jim glanced at Olson, who looked a little too eager for the mission at hand, "You got the charges, right?"

"Oh, yeah," the man grinned, "I can't wait to kick some Romulan ass. Right?"

"So, what kind of hand-to-hand combat do either of you have?"

"A mix of martial arts, along with self-defense," Emily replied when Jim looked at her pointedly.

He already knew – he'd been on the receiving end of her wrath on more than one occasion, especially at the gym. Even Sulu, who made one of the best sparring partners when it came to fencing, had known what she was capable of. They would sometimes meet at the gym when Kirk wasn't around. Though the first encounter had been incredibly awkward, she began to appreciate the fact that Sulu didn't hold back during their sparring sessions.

"Fencing," Sulu replied seconds later. Seeing the look in Jim's eyes only made Emily roll hers.

"Pre-jump!"

She flinched when Pike called that. Taking a deep breath, she knew what was about to happen, and the risks that would follow. This was what they all had been preparing themselves for. Though, it didn't help when she caught how eager Olson was to take down some Romulans. The way he was chatting like an excited monkey didn't help matters.

"You are clear from the USS Enterprise airspace," the Enterprise announced.

"Cadets," Pike sighed, "We're approaching the drop zone. You have one shot to land on the platform. You may have to fix this to pull your chute as late as possible." Emily swallowed back the fear that was threatening to overwhelm her as the doors slowly began to open. She hadn't realized until that moment just how real this was. "Three… two… one. Remember, the Enterprise won't be able to beam you back until you turn off that drill. Good luck."

And with that, the floor dropped underneath them, sending the four of them rocketing down towards the planet, following the line of a strange looking device that had to be the drill. Wind rushed past Emily as she followed the others – due to her smaller size, her fall would take a little longer.

"Kirk to Enterprise. Distance target. Five thousand meters," Jim shouted over the roaring wind.

"Forty two hundred meters to target," Sulu reported as the drill got closer.

"Four thousand meters," Emily called out.

"Three thousand meters!" Olson cried out cheerfully.

Emily only rolled her eyes as she realized he was enjoying the adrenaline rush. She, on the other hand, was not looking forward to what lay ahead on the drill. One of the many reasons she wanted to tag along was because they would need all the help they could get. She just hoped that she wasn't going to regret her decision.

"Two thousand meters," Jim called.

"Pull your chute!" Sulu ordered, him, Jim and Emily doing just that.

She glanced to her left, only to find Olson hadn't pulled his chute yet. Was he really dumb enough to fall without a chute? That kind of stunt was going to get him killed. A shiver of unease swept through her when she realized that Olson was really willing to take that kind of risk. Falling from that height without pulling his parachute was a suicide mission, and Olson didn't seem to care whether or not he would make it.

"Two thousand meters!"

"Come on, pull your chute, Olson!" Jim shouted to him.

"Not yet! Fifteen hundred meters!"

"Open your chute!" Sulu cried.

"Yeah."

"Olson, for God's sake, pull your damn chute!" Emily shouted, getting more than annoyed with the fact that he wasn't taking this seriously.

Of course, Olson kept going until he was at one thousand meters to pull his chute. But, by the time he reached the drill, it was too late. He slammed into the platform he was aiming for, falling past it, and his chute getting sucked up into the energy beam that was the drill. Emily had to close her eyes at the sight as he was disintegrated right before them.

She landed on the platform seconds later, with Jim following shortly after as she retracted her chute. Unfortunately, Sulu had come in with a rough landing; the moment they landed on the drill was when the Romulans came rushing out from a hatch. Jim had jumped to his feet and tried firing a phaser to defend himself, but the Romulan only knocked it out of his hand. All the while, Sulu was still struggling to get back to his feet as his chute pulled him closer to the edge of the drill.

"Sulu!" she cried after realizing he had overshot the platform, his chute getting caught on something, leaving him dangling just over the energy beam. She was about to rush over and help when a Romulan started charging towards her. Narrowing her eyes, she waited until he was close enough to throw him over her shoulder with surprising strength, sending him over the edge of the platform. "Pull your chute in!" she called to Sulu as he continued struggling.

She had reached his side and sighed in relief when he slapped his chest to retract the chute, getting pulled onto the platform in the process. But, as Emily watched, she realized that the hole his chute was caught on actually shot out fire. She didn't waste a second in rushing over to grab him, reaching for his hand before he could fall off.

"Thanks!" he nodded before charging after an approaching Romulan.

Her heart nearly skipped a beat when a Romulan grabbed hold of her arm and threw her onto the platform. The Romulan had her pinned to the platform, but that didn't mean Emily was unable to defend herself. One good kick in the chest was all it took for the Romulan to release his grip and stumble backwards, only to find himself getting knocked out seconds later with a punch in the face.

"You okay?" Jim asked when he'd managed to send a Romulan over the edge of the platform.

"Never better," she muttered with a roll of her eyes.

"A little help!" Sulu shouted at them as he tried to sword-fight with the last Romulan. "Give me your hand, come on!"

Jim only grinned and rushed towards the unsuspecting Romulan, tackling him over the edge of the platform, Emily rushing forward to grab him before he fell as well. Her shoulders sagged in relief the moment the Romulans were gone. While she had no problem defending herself, she wasn't sure how much longer she could keep it up.

"Thanks," he gasped after balancing himself.

She gave him a nod, knowing that had it been the other way around, she would have felt just as grateful.

"Olson had the charges," Sulu pointed out as they tried to figure out what to with the drill.

"I know!" Kirk shouted back, looking around for any ways to stop the drill. Emily's eyes fell on the weapons that the Romulans had been using earlier. If all else failed, use the enemy's weapon against them. She'd watched more than enough movies to know that plan always worked. "Grab a gun!"

She turned and grabbed the nearest gun, Kirk and Sulu doing the same, before firing at the platform with the weapon, Kirk and Sulu firing alongside her. None of them stopped until they heard the drill power down, and the energy beam disappeared.

Emily breathed out a sigh of relief, but that relief was short-lived when the drill suddenly shook, something rocketing down towards the planet.

"Kirk to Enterprise," Jim said through the com, "They launched something at the planet, through the hole they just drilled. Do you copy?"

"Yes, sir," one of the female cadets replied.

Whatever that something was, she knew it couldn't be anything good, especially when she heard a low rumble coming from the planet. Her heart was racing with unease when Kirk shouted for the Enterprise to beam them up.

"Standby, locking on your signal…"

The platform suddenly jerked; Emily fell to her knees, while Kirk only stumbled and helped her up seconds later. Sulu, unfortunately, wasn't so lucky. Emily's eyes widened in horror when he stumbled right over the ledge.

"Sulu!" Jim shouted.

"I can't lock onto you!" a voice called through the com. "Don't move! Don't move!"

"Help!"

Closing her eyes, Emily suddenly took the calculated risk and jumped after him. She knew that it was a reckless move, but, she had her chute. She wasn't going to let someone die under her watch. The only problem was, in order for the operator at transport to beam them up, their fall would have to be steady and calm. Jim must have read her thoughts, because seconds later, he was free falling alongside her.

 _Leonard's going to kill us when this is over_ , she thought as Jim grabbed hold of Sulu. If crashing into the planet didn't do the job for him, that was. She couldn't help but wonder if they should be questioning their sanity for jumping off the drill in the first place. But leaving Sulu behind was out of the question. She wasn't planning on letting someone else die on her watch.

"We've got ya!" Kirk yelled. "Pull my chute!"

The following few seconds were a blur for Emily. Kirk's chute wasn't working as they'd hoped. A moment of panic rushed through her as she realized they were all falling without a chute. Jim had grabbed hold of her hand after realizing that her chute wasn't working either. She hadn't realized just how terrified she was until hearing Chekov's voice through the com.

"Don't move! Hold on! Computing gravitational pull, and… gotcha!"

She gasped as she was suddenly surrounded by the familiar lights of the transporter. The moment the lights had surrounded her, they all slammed right into the floor of the transporter pad of the Enterprise. She let out a sigh of relief the moment she realized they were safe.

"God," Kirk winced as Chekov cheered for their safe return.

Emily winced as she struggled back to her feet, thanking God they'd made a safe return. Well, as safe as free falling to their doom would get. Her legs were still shaking as Sulu thanked them and struggled to stand as well. The moment they had all recovered from the initial shock of almost falling to their deaths, they were brushed aside by Spock.

"Clear the pad," he ordered after reaching the room. "I'm beaming to the surface."

"You're doing what?" Emily gaped at him, wincing as she realized how shaken she sounded while other Cadets were gathering to bring them to medical.

"The surface of what?" Kirk mimicked, "What, you're going down there? Are you nuts?"

"Energize!" Spock ignored them, crouching down on the transport pad once it was cleared.

"Spock!" Too late, Spock was transported to Vulcan.

She recalled his mother being human, after listening to a conversation between Uhura and Kayla while they were 'studying'. Apparently, his mother had married the keeper of Vulcan culture, as was accustomed. Spock was close to his mother, and that would explain why he was so desperate to make sure she was safe. She was about to tell Jim this, as he was still trying to figure out why Spock would risk leaving the Enterprise during such a tense moment, when the Vulcan's voice came through the com.

"Spock to Enterprise, get us out now!"

Chekov, still sitting at the controls, was prepared to do what he could to help, "Locking on you. Don't move. Stay right vhere you are…" Emily watched with growing unease as the swirling lights began to appear on the transport pad. "Transport in five… four… three… two…"

"No!" She jumped at the sound of Spock's voice shouting through the com.

"I'm losing her!" Chekov cried as an alarm went off. Emily could only watch on helplessly as one of the lights had stopped working. The person who was being transported was just… gone. "I'm losing her; I'm losing her… no…" Chekov let out a shaky breath. "I've lost her…"

As he said that, Spock, along with a few older men and women Vulcans appeared on the transport pad, with Spock still reaching out to what Emily guessed was his mother. She swallowed hard after realizing that Spock had lost his mother. She suddenly found herself regretting everything she thought about Spock earlier on. It was worse when she caught the look of shock written across Chekov's face as realization dawned on him.

Eerie silence seemed to follow as the Enterprise shook from a force that made everyone look out the window. Her heart nearly skipped a beat when she realized that the planet had imploded, as if it was being sucked away into a black hole. Just like that, empty blackness took over where the planet once was. Emily couldn't help but glance at Spock after realizing he had lost both his planet, and his mother, all at the same time.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

There was a time when she would have jumped at the opportunity to explore a new world and see what said world had to offer. The possibilities of this world were endless. Aliens existed and even lived among humans, and vise versa. It was almost poetic, seeing how much times had changed in the futuristic world. Yet, the more Emily thought about it, the more she realized how unprepared she was for this moment. The stress of what was happening had begun eating away at her. The guilt and exhaustion overwhelmed her as she stared absentmindedly at the wall for what felt like hours.

Jim and Sulu were sitting on either side of her on a bench outside the medical bay. Almost all of the biobeds had been taken over by either injured crew members, or Vulcan elders that Spock was able to rescue before Planet Vulcan was destroyed. She tried ignoring the pain of her injuries while observing the mad rush of nurses and doctors trying to maintain their stations in medbay. Everyone kept themselves busy to distract themselves from the reality of what had happened.

The solemn atmosphere hadn't helped matters. Emily had seen more than a few Vulcans go into shock from the loss of their people. She could only imagine the grief they were going through at that moment. At one point in her life, she would have refused to believe they had any emotions at all. But seeing them now only served to prove how naive she was. Her fists clenched as she blinked a few times. When the rush of adrenaline from nearly falling to her death wore off, she realized just how damn lucky she, Jim and Sulu had been.

"Are you okay?" Jim's voice shook her out of her thoughts.

Emily blinked and looked at him as he pressed his shoulder against her for what little comfort he could provide. Though he wasn't aware of the turmoil in her mind, she was grateful for his support.

"I don't think I'll be okay for a while," she admitted guiltily. Jim suddenly took hold of her hand and squeezed it gently. She let out a heavy sigh as she finally locked eyes with him. "Why did Nero attack an entire planet and kill all of those innocent people?"

"Something tells me that Nero wasn't in his right mind to begin with," Jim remarked dryly.

Sulu had been quiet most of the time, though Emily hadn't missed the fact that he was watching the pair curiously out of the corner of his eye. He was ready to say something when Nurse Chapel arrived with a tricorder in one hand, and a data PADD in the other.

"There's a shortage of biobeds in the medical bay," the nurse explained with a heavy sigh of her own. She looked as exhausted as everyone else felt. "I wish there was more we could do."

 _None of us were prepared for what happened_ , Emily thought bitterly.

It wasn't until spotting a familiar figure emerge from medbay that she sucked in a breath of surprise.

Leonard McCoy looked utterly exhausted when he approached them. It looked as if he'd been running from one station to the next trying to make sure everyone received what treatment they had to offer. Then she recalled hearing from one of the Security Officers that Doctor Puri had been killed on Deck Six. A lump formed in the back of her throat when she realized that Leonard had been promoted to the Chief Medical Officer position, and his exhaustion suddenly made sense.

"You two are gonna be the death of me," he muttered after finally reaching them.

Emily refused to make eye contact when she felt his gaze searching hers. She knew he would have a few choice words for her decisions to go after Jim and Sulu. She would have made the same choice a dozen times if it meant saving them.

"Bones, I really don't see why I have to have medical treatment," Jim complained as he held his hands up to prove a point. He actually didn't look as if he'd sustained too many injuries. Emily rose an eyebrow when she noticed that he only sustained a few bruises here and there, along with a cut above his higher lip. "I could be doing something useful on the bridge instead of wasting time and resources here."

 _Idiot_ , Emily nearly rolled her eyes. Everyone had to receive a full medical assessment if they were involved with the attack. She had a feeling a psychiatric evaluation would be needed once everything was said and done as well.

"Nurse Chapel, you mind looking after him while we talk?"

Everyone looked at Leonard in disbelief as his gaze swept from Jim to the nurse who had finished treating Sulu's injuries. Emily's jaw clenched as she caught Jim trying to argue with letting someone else look over his injuries. He normally refused treatment from anyone other than Leonard, mostly because of his lack of trust towards doctors. She'd seen how horrible Jim's immune system was from experience, so she didn't entirely blame him for being so reluctant.

"Yes, sir," Nurse Chapel replied with a nod once she recovered from her initial surprise.

Once she started scanning Jim's vitals with the tricorder, Leonard pulled Emily into a nearby hallway. She struggled to maintain her composure when she realized that she was in for an earful. Leonard didn't normally compromise his work unless he had a severely good reason for it.

"What the hell were you thinking?" he finally demanded.

It took everything Emily had not to roll her eyes and cross her arms defiantly in response. She knew the only reason he was so pissed was because she had taken a huge risk. And because he cared. Whether Leonard was willing to admit it or not, he cared too much to lose her.

"I was thinking that I couldn't let those bastards get away with what they did," she retorted. Her heart wrenched with pity as she thought of all the lives that were taken because of Nero's attack. Families had been killed because of that attack. "They didn't deserve to die… there should have been something we could have done to prevent it."

Her words finally caught in her throat as tears threatened to overwhelm her. She hated crying in public, especially during a crisis like this. Leonard's face finally softened when he realized that this was about more than just losing an entire planet. He let out a heavy sigh and pulled her into a tight embrace, and she couldn't stop herself from burying her face into his chest.

"You're right." Emily swallowed hard when she felt him kiss the top of her head tenderly. The weight of exhaustion and grief had been overwhelming for everyone. "They sure as hell didn't deserve to die the way they did, but don't go beatin' yourself up for somethin' you have no control over."

"I should have seen this coming, though," she argued. She felt Leonard stiffen as she brought up the one thing she dreaded explaining to the rest of the crew. "Maybe if I'd listened to Julia when she talked about all of this…"

"Dammit Emily, you're not blamin' yourself for this crap!" She flinched when he finally snapped at her. Leonard let out another sigh of frustration, and he gently lifted her chin so that they made eye contact. "I know it isn't easy being taken from another world, then to have to go through all of this. But I know for a fact that you're stronger than this."

For once, Emily wasn't sure what to say when she realized what he was implying. At one point after waking up in this world, she would have gladly blamed every Romulan for what Nero did. But she knew now that he alone was responsible for what had happened. And while she hadn't paid attention to Julia's constant rants about this world, she also knew that he was right. She'd been through worse, and it was time she finally got her act together.

"Thank you," she whispered truthfully.

Leonard simply nodded and finally captured her lips with his. Emily allowed herself a few precious seconds with him, relishing the warmth and comfort he provided. She was beginning to realize that she couldn't have gone through this alone. He and Jim had always been there for her while they were at the Academy, and she wouldn't have wanted either of them any differently.

"You really are gonna be the death of me," he groaned when they reluctantly pulled apart.

"I sure hope not," she shook her head in amusement. "The Fleet would be losing themselves one hell of a doctor."

He only laughed bitterly at the irony of her statement. Even so, hearing those encouraging words was enough for him to offer a small smile, a rare gift for anyone. He was about to say something else when a tiny cough interrupted their moment.

"Well, I was gonna go and see whether or not you still needed some help, but it's obvious you've got that handled." Jim's smirk of amusement never wavered as Leonard scowled in annoyance. "Are you sure you don't need a room, or is the hall enough privacy?"

"Ass," Leonard scoffed under his breath while Emily just rolled her eyes.

"We're needed on the bridge," Jim suddenly added in a more serious tone.

…

A few minutes had gone by when everyone gathered on the bridge. Jim was sitting on the Captain's chair arguing with the others about what to do with their next course of action. Emily found herself standing beside Leonard while listening to the arguments. She doubted Spock would just allow Nero to get away with destroying an entire planet. She just hoped that he was in a listening mood as he arrived moments later with Uhura trailing behind him.

"Have you confirmed that Nero is headed for Earth?" the Vulcan asked once he entered the bridge.

"Their trajectory shows no other destination, Captain," Uhura replied.

"Thank you, Lieutenant."

Emily found it odd that Spock had promoted Uhura just like that. Captain Pike had referred to her as a Cadet before this whole mess. But, even before that, she'd heard Spock refer to Uhura as a Lieutenant. It was obvious they were in some kind of relationship; otherwise Spock would not be showing favoritism. Which she found all-the-more ironic as she thought of the rules and regulations regarding relationships between Superior Officers and Cadets. It was one of the many reasons she and Leonard had kept their relationship under wraps for so long.

They'd already looked into the rules regarding their relationship multiple times. Now that Leonard was the Chief Medical Officer, she had a feeling they would have to keep their relationship strictly professional. She just wished there was a way around said rules – it would make everyone's lives who wanted to start a family on a Starship that much easier.

"We can't be sure that Nero won't attack other planets in the Federation, on the way, though," Jim argued.

"He's already destroyed Planet Vulcan," Emily added with a nod of agreement, "Who's to say he won't do the same to other planets associated with the Federation?"

"Out of the chair." Emily nearly rolled her eyes when Spock moved towards the chair that Jim felt inclined to sit in. "Even if your theory were true, we have no definitive proof that Nero would go after other planets."

 _You're just saying no because Jim was the first to suggest it_ , Emily pointed out silently.

Not for the first time, she found herself disliking Spock purely for the fact that he tried to find whatever fault he could in both Jim and herself since this mission started. She knew he didn't trust either of them, and the feelings were mutual. If he found out where she was from and that she had been lying this whole time, he wouldn't hesitate to alert the rest of the Fleet.

"Vell, the Federation in general is a target, vhy didn't they destroy us?" Chekov asked.

"Why would they?" Sulu asked with a shake of his head, "Why waste the weapons? You know… we obviously weren't a threat."

"Nero left us alive because he wanted Spock to see something," Emily pointed out after recalling what the madman said on the video screen. "I'm willing to bet the only reason he's asked for Pike is because he has information on the Federation, and because he's connected to you."

Spock looked at her thoughtfully when he realized what she was implying. Nero struck hard at the people that Spock cared about. She had no doubt that he was out for more than just vengeance. And that left her figuring that Nero wouldn't just stop at Planet Vulcan. Any planet that stood for the Federation – the very foundation that Spock stood for – was a target in Nero's eyes.

"Perhaps you are correct in that theory," he finally conceded. "He wanted me to see something. The destruction of my home Planet."

"How the hell did he do that, by the way?" Leonard asked, "Where did the Romulans get that kind of weaponry?"

 _Valid question_. Emily frowned when she thought of what the people of her world would have done with such technology. Tensions between countries had always been high. With technology and weaponry like that, there was no telling what sort of chaos would have followed. She tried pushing the uneasy thoughts aside. Thinking of her old world only reminded her of how out of place she truly was in this world.

"The engineering comprehension necessary to artificially create a black hole may suggest an answer. Such technology could be manipulated to create a tunnel through space-time," Spock explained.

"Dammit man, I'm a doctor, not a physicist. Are you suggesting they're from the future?"

Emily flinched when she felt his gaze boring through her. He must have been thinking of how she ended up in this world in the first place. Yet, the more Emily thought about it, the more she understood that she truly was from another world. Where she was from, this had been nothing more than a movie. It didn't explain how aliens from the future were capable of taking her from another world and dropping her off on this world.

"If you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."

"No shit, Sherlock," Emily muttered under her breath.

One nudge from Leonard was all it took for her to clamp her mouth shut when Spock looked in their direction. As acting Captain, she had no doubt he would use that title to his advantage if it was needed. Seeing the look on his face told her that he wasn't above reprimanding her if she continued speaking out against him.

"Then, what would an angry, future Romulan want with Captain Pike?" Jim asked.

 _Yet another good question_ , Emily thought as her brows furrowed together. Experience taught her that Nero wouldn't have randomly targeted Captain Pike unless there was a reason behind it. He could have chosen countless other Captains like the one from the USS Kelvin. Something about the Enterprise and the Kelvin had drawn Nero's attention; the only difference was that Nero had left the Enterprise crew alive. For now.

"As Captain, he does know details of Starfleet's defenses," Sulu reminded him.

"No, it's not that," Emily said thoughtfully, thinking of how Nero had wanted Spock to see the destruction of his home planet. "He wanted First Officer Spock to see the destruction of his home planet, and most likely any ties he has with the Federation."

Spock nodded reluctantly at that. It actually did make sense. He'd seen the young Cadet many times before at the Academy, and had questioned her credentials more than once. Seeing her tense under his piercing stare, and shift closer to the doctor only confirmed something was _off_ about her.

"What we need to do," Jim began after shooting Spock a warning glare, "is catch up with that ship, disable it, take it over, and get Pike back."

"We are technologically outmatched in every way," Spock reminded him, "A rescue attempt would be illogical."

"It may be illogical, but it _is_ the right thing to do."

Emily narrowed her eyes defiantly when Spock looked at her once again. Not only did it _feel_ wrong to leave Captain Pike behind, it _was_ the wrong thing to do. Going back for him meant risking everything, but the risks were worth it in the end.

"Nero's ship vould have to drop out of varp for us to overtake him," Chekov pointed out.

"Then what about assigning engineering crews to try and boost our warp yield?" Jim asked.

"Remaining power and crew are being used to repair radiation leaks on lower decks," Spock reminded him once again.

"There has to be some way," Emily muttered with a shake of her head.

But it was painfully obvious that whatever argument she came up with, Spock would find some logical argument to counter with. Her fists clenched at the thought of leaving him behind in the mess that Nero created. All she could think about was the fact that Pike had done everything to give her a second chance at the Academy. Without his persistence, she would have been wandering around this world in a lost haze.

 _He would want us to come back if we had the chance_ , she thought angrily. Now that they made whatever rescue efforts they could on Planet Vulcan, the least they could do was go back and rescue him like Jim had suggested.

Of course, Spock was too stubborn to see beyond that reasoning. He'd follow the rules without question. That was what Emily had learned about him over the last few hours. She found him more irritating than Jim the first day they had met.

"We must gather with the rest of Starfleet, to balance the terms of our next engagement," Spock retorted.

"There won't be a next engagement!" Jim snapped, "By the time we've gathered it'll be too late. You say he's from the future and knows what's gonna happen, then the logical thing is to be unpredictable."

"You're assuming that Nero knows how events are predicted to unfold? The contrary, Nero's very presence has altered the flow of history, beginning with the attack on the USS Kelvin, culminating in the events of today, thereby creating an entire new chain of incidents that cannot be anticipated by either party."

Emily frowned when she realized what Spock was implying. Her mind spun with a dozen questions as she recalled what the Professor in her original college class had been talking about. Alternate realities had always been just a suggestion in her world. Memories of being kidnapped and taken from her world came rushing back. Those aliens had been from an alternate timeline as well. It suddenly left her wondering if there was somehow a connection.

"An alternate reality?" she questioned, her voice barely a whisper.

"Precisely," he nodded, "Whatever our lives might have been, if the time continuum was disrupted… our destinies have changed. Mr. Sulu, plot a course for the Laurentian system, warp factor 3."

"Spock, don't do that," Jim stepped forward and faced him, "Running back to the rest of the fleet for a-a con flab is a massive waste of time!"

"Orders issued by Captain Pike when he left—"

"Are void now that he's gone," Emily cut him off, suddenly furious that he once again acting like a walking rule-book.

Once again, there was just something about Spock that ticked her off, especially with the way he was handling the situation. Any sane person would know that going after Captain Pike was the right thing to do, but of course, they weren't willing to voice their thoughts like Kirk, or herself.

"He also ordered us to go back and get him!" Jim nodded in agreement, "Spock, you're Captain now. You have to be—"

"I am also aware of my responsibilities Mr.—"

"Every second we waste, Nero's getting closer to his target."

 _Which is exactly why we should go after him_ , Emily realized as she understood where Jim was getting at. Nero wouldn't hesitate to attack Earth, just as he had Vulcan, and that would only end in disaster.

"That is correct and why I'm instructing you to accept the fact that I alone am in command—" Emily only rolled her eyes at that. Someone was full of themselves.

"I will not allow us to go backwards…"

"Jim!" Leonard shouted.

Emily found herself flinching, knowing that this would lead to a full-blown fight soon if something wasn't done. It was like watching a horrible game of debate, and neither were willing to back down from their topic. Both Jim and Spock were stubborn as hell, and she could see that clearly on their faces. Either believed they were right, and truthfully, she sided with Jim.

"… instead of hunting Nero down!"

"Security," Spock looked to the side, "Escort him out."

 _Bad idea_ , Emily thought, glancing at Jim as she noticed how tense he was. He was perfectly capable of throwing in a good punch or two, and willing to fight off the security officers as they approached him. The moment they had tried grabbing him was when Leonard rushed for a sedative.

"Jim, don't!" But, Spock had beaten him to it with what looked like some kind of nerve pinch, sending Jim to the ground.

"Get him off this ship!"


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty One**

She stayed in the medbay after Kirk was removed from the ship. The shock of what Spock had done really hit her hard. Yes, Jim could be an ass and reckless, but, he _was_ the one who foresaw the attack. She knew that in her heart, he was right about going after Nero and rescuing Captain Pike. Nero would more than likely go to Earth as his next target, presuming Spock's close ties with the planet.

He wasn't thinking logically. The Vulcan may have been trying to act as though he was, but she could tell that the loss of Vulcan had hit him hard as well. He wasn't emotionally prepared for what lay ahead. Hell, she wasn't emotionally prepared for all this shit. She knew what happened when one suffered the loss of someone they were close to.

Closing her eyes, she thought of the family she had left behind. It had been so long since she last saw them, that she was beginning to forget what they looked like. That was probably a good thing, though. She didn't really have any close ties with her family, as much as she hated to admit it. Her parents would always disapprove of whatever choices she made, while praising her sister for whatever achievements she made.

Her eyes opened to the sound of footsteps approaching. They narrowed upon seeing Spock arrive in medbay, with Leonard close behind him. While Spock managed to maintain a neutral face, voice of any emotions, she could see the look of worry in Leonard's eyes. It could only mean bad news. Spock may not have said anything when she stood up for Kirk before he was sent off the ship, but it was only a matter of time before he started questioning where she came from, and why she had enlisted in Starfleet in the first place.

"For the last time, I'm telling you, this isn't a good idea!"

Her glare focused on the Vulcan as he approached her biobed. If anyone knew it was best to avoid getting her ticked off, it was Leonard and Jim. Seeing the look in his eyes told her exactly what she had suspected earlier.

"And to what do I owe the _pleasure_?" she drawled, refusing to break her gaze as Spock rose an eyebrow in surprise.

"You have been lying to us, Liaison Hayes," he replied, shooting Leonard a stern look as he rolled his eyes. He'd been waiting for this moment, to prove that she wasn't from this world. She'd known for some time that this was exactly what Spock would do. That was why she had done her best to avoid him during classes at the Academy. Emily narrowed her eyes as she locked gazes with Spock, refusing to break eye-contact. "Where are you from?"

Emily frowned at that.

"Manhattan, New York," she replied without missing a beat.

Spock narrowed his eyes, and Emily's heart nearly skipped a beat as she realized he must have known something wasn't quite right. Even during classes, Spock had been suspicious. He had known something wasn't right with the way she acted, and her behavior towards him only proved something was wrong. A shiver of unease swept through her as she wondered what he would do once he figured out the truth. There was no telling how the rest of the Fleet or the Council would react upon hearing such news. She tried looking for stories about other humans suffering from similar fates, but nothing came up during those searches.

"There are no files of an Emily Hayes up until three years ago. That there were no files until then, I can only presume that you were recently admitted to Starfleet."

"The files must have been erased, then," she snapped.

She had been hoping until after this madness was over to explain herself. Recalling the events of what happened prior to waking up on this world was painful enough. Unfortunately, Spock was not deterred by the warning in her tone.

"Who are you, Liaison Hayes?" It wasn't necessarily a demand, but she could see it in his eyes.

She glanced at Leonard warily, but he only shook his head. Even he didn't have an excuse to keep Spock away. Doctor or not, Spock was the acting Captain and had a right to know the truth. She swallowed hard and refused to make eye contact with Spock as she thought of every possible answer.

"You wouldn't believe me," she finally admitted.

Although, at this point, as Leonard had pointed out, anything seemed possible. Heck, they were currently in an alternate universe created by Nero. Seeing the look in Spock's eyes told him that he would continue asking until she was forced to relent.

"Yes, I'm not from this world," she muttered. "I don't know how, I don't know why, but I was brought here three years ago. I woke up in a hospital in Iowa, got the culture shock of my life, and moved on. Are you happy, now?"

Spock narrowed his eyes. If it wasn't for the fact that he could have her court martialed, she would have found his reaction hilarious. Yet, she knew that with frustration came reckless decisions. If Spock tried using his mind-melding ability on her, she wasn't sure how it would work out. Those cloaked figures… they had done something to her. She wasn't sure what, but she had a feeling that he would learn the hard way, he wasn't going to get his answers that way.

"Emily."

She froze when Leonard called her name. One look in his eyes told her everything. She let out a sigh before glancing at Spock once more.

She told him the truth. As much as she hated to admit it, she knew that lying wouldn't get her anywhere. When she told Spock that she wasn't from this world, he didn't seem the least bit surprised. He did look surprised, though when she had mentioned the cloaked figures and their interference the reason behind her existence in this world. She only left out minor details, such as what they had done to her. Hell, even Leonard didn't know the full extent of what they had done.

"I mean no ill-intention," she reassured him as Leonard stood beside her and gently squeezed her hand. "I have nowhere else to go, Spock. My home, my family, everything was taken away from me. Starfleet is all I have left."

Spock looked at her thoughtfully for a few seconds before finally leaving it at that.

"Your theory proves sound, given the recent events with Nero. I would, however, write a report on this."

He was thoroughly confused, and concerned that there was more to the story then she was letting on. The fact that she had opened up the moment Doctor McCoy spoke her name had risen an alarm that something was going on between them.

"I suppose that's fair enough," she sighed in relief. The moment he left was when her shoulders sagged in relief. She hadn't realized until than just how tense she was. "Bastard was going to try using the mind-melding trick on me, wasn't he?" she asked once he was gone.

"He thought about it," Leonard replied with a shake of his head. "Though, something tells me he'd regret it."

Emily only smirked at that, knowing he was probably right. She'd read enough stories to know that the mind-meld by force could be extremely painful for both parties. Vulcans rarely performed mind-melds with humans unless they were given their full consent. Even when they were given their full consent, they still needed to be careful and thorough with their mind-meld.

Truthfully, she wasn't even sure if Spock would be able to perform a successful mind-meld with her. She remembered with a shiver what those creatures had done to her while she was on that planet. They'd performed countless surgeries that would have left any doctor's head spinning with confusion. And she couldn't shake off the feeling that they would never understand the full extent of damage that was caused by their interference.

"How'd he find out, in the first place?" she asked.

"He had Uhura look up your files after you sided with Jim," he muttered crossly.

 _Of course he did_ , Emily thought with a roll of her eyes. Maybe he was trying to find a way to send her off ship, since she had sided with Jim. She hadn't missed the way Spock had looked at her when she defended him. Honestly, she understood where Jim was getting at when it came to finding Nero and rescuing Pike. Spock should have listened, but his need to follow the rules had blinded him. She knew that need to follow the rules was going to be his ultimate downfall. Unless he was willing to give some leeway on the regulations, they were going to be sitting targets if Spock retained his title as Captain.

With that thought in mind, the two of them made their way back to the bridge. An announcement that there were intruders on the ship could only tell Emily that Jim had somehow found his way back. Or, they'd caught up with Nero. Either way, this should be an interesting story.

"Who are you?" Spock was scrutinizing a soaked and shivering Scotsman as he stood beside Kirk, looking very uncomfortable at being put on the spotlight.

"I'm with him," he replied, pointing to Kirk.

"Yeah, he's with me," Kirk confirmed with a nod.

"We're traveling at warp speed. How did you manage to beam aboard this ship?"

Emily narrowed her eyes at that, knowing full well that when there was a way, Kirk would find one. And clearly, he had.

"You're the genius," Kirk retorted, "You figure it out."

She frowned; if Kirk planned on starting another fight, he was doing a good job at that. Luckily, Spock seemed to think twice before getting involved with whatever Kirk was starting, and focused his attention on the poor Scotsman who was shivering beside Kirk.

"As acting Captain of this vessel, I order you to answer the question," he narrowed his eyes at them.

"Yeah, not telling you, _acting_ Captain." Jim crossed his arms over his chest as if to make a point. "What… di… what, now that doesn't frustrate you, does it? My lack of cooperation? That… that doesn't make you angry?"

It almost looked as if Spock was going to roll his eyes when he turned to the Scotsman once more, "Are you a member of Starfleet?"

"I… um… yes," he replied, sounding very uncomfortable being interrogated. "Can I get a towel, please?"

"Under penalty of court martial, I order you to explain to me how you were able to beam aboard this ship while moving at warp."

Emily rolled her eyes as she reached for a towel and handed it to the Scotsman, who promptly thanked her.

"Don't answer him," Kirk narrowed his eyes.

"You _will_ answer me."

"I'd rather not take sides," the man pleaded and stepped back a little, trying to avoid the confrontation that would likely end very badly.

"What is it with you, Spock?" Jim asked, looking at the Vulcan with every intention of starting a fight, "Hm? Your planet was just destroyed, your mother was murdered, and you're not even upset."

"What the hell is Kirk doing?" Leonard asked when he reached her, and Emily only shook her head.

"Emotionally compromising Spock," she guessed.

According to the regulations, if the Acting Captain or the Captain was emotionally compromised, then the First Officer would take their place. She didn't miss the look Leonard gave her, suggesting that this was a very, very bad idea. Hell, Emily long-since suspected Kirk would make a better Captain than Spock on any good day. Though, she'd never say that out loud. She _did_ know that encouraging Spock's anger was something that even she wouldn't have done. Vulcans could be terrifying when they were angry, which was one of the many reasons why they had to maintain control over their emotions.

"If you're presuming these past experiences in any way impede my ability to command this ship, you are mistaken," Spock stated, though she could see that he had tensed from those words.

So, there was a way through that thick skull of his. Emily rose an eyebrow when she realized that he was beginning to show the slightest signs of emotion. Even _he_ couldn't deny that he had been effected by Nero's attack.

"You were the one who said fear was necessary for command," Kirk pointed out. "Did you see his ship? Did you see what he did?"

"Yes, of course I did," Spock narrowed his eyes.

Everyone had seen what Nero did. The memories of seeing those bodies drifting in empty space would always haunt Emily, especially as she realized at that moment just how real this all was.

"So, are you afraid, or aren't you?"

"I will not allow you to lecture me on the merits of emotion."

"Then why don't you try to stop me?" Jim stepped up in front of him.

"Step away from me, Mr—"

"What is it like not to feel anger, or heartbreak, or the need to stop at nothing to avenge the death of the woman who gave birth to you?" Kirk glared at him, and it took everything Emily had not to flinch at that.

It was obvious that Kirk had gotten under Spock's skin. Heck, he managed to find a way under anyone's skin. But he might have pushed him just a little too far this time. Emily did her best to keep her distance as she watched Spock seethe over Jim's remarks. He was trying to hold back the grief and anger that Jim was beginning to stir. She had a feeling that this wasn't going to end well on Jim's part.

"Back away from me—"

"You feel nothing! It must not even compute for you! You never loved her!"

"Jim!" Leonard called out just as Spock let out a vicious cry and lunged at him, punching him across the face while Jim did nothing to defend himself.

Emily flinched at the sight. She was aware that Vulcans were twice as strong as humans. And while Spock was half-Vulcan, he was still stronger than the average human. The chaos that followed ended when Spock had pinned Jim to the floor in a choke hold against the helm console. Her eyes widened in horror as she realized that Spock was trying to strangle him. No one made a move to stop him until they realized what was happening.

"Spock!" One of the older Vulcans had finally stepped forward, and it didn't take Emily long to realize this must be his father.

Spock had finally calmed down enough to release his grip on Jim, who by now was gasping for air as he stepped back. He looked around at the crew's shocked expressions. In that moment, Emily had begun to notice that despite his best efforts at hiding his emotions, Spock had finally shown his humanly side. He swallowed hard.

"Doctor, I am no longer fit for duty. I hereby relinquish my command, based on the fact that I have been emotionally compromised. Please note the date and time on the ship's log."

Emily couldn't help but shake her head as the tense moment ended with Spock leaving the bridge, his father following close behind. Seeing the look in Spock's eyes before he left suggested that he had been emotionally compromised long before Kirk and Scotty returned to the Enterprise. The loss of his mother had hit him harder than he would ever admit.

"I like this ship!" the Scotsman, who she later learned was nicknamed Scotty, declared. "You know, it's exciting."

Rolling her eyes, Emily glanced at Jim as he struggled back to his feet. She knew Scotty was just trying to cut through the icy tension on the bridge. At least he seemed to have a sense of humor in a situation that demanded everything be taken seriously.

"You alright?" she asked, noticing he'd taken the hit pretty well, considering how strong Spock was.

"Yeah," came the quick response after he winced. "Definitely not something I'd want to experience again."

 _Gee, I wonder why_? she thought with a shake of her head.

"Congratulations, Jim," Leonard cut in icily, "Now we've got no Captain, and no goddamn First Officer to replace him."

"Actually, we do," Emily pointed out, swallowing as she recalled Pike's orders before he was taken.

She knew Leonard wasn't going to like it, given the amount of distrust he showed in Jim's leadership skills. But, it wasn't as if they had any other choice. Pike had assigned Jim as First-Officer before he was taken by Nero. Emily swallowed hard at the thought. Captain or not, they needed someone who wasn't going to turn their back on Pike and run with their tail between their legs. She knew Jim wouldn't run away just because of what had happened.

"What?" Leonard blinked in disbelief, and she suspected he was silently begging that this wasn't who he thought it was.

Sulu closed his eyes for a moment before answering for Jim and Emily.

"Pike made him First Officer."

"You've gotta be kidding me."

"Thanks for the support," Jim muttered sarcastically.

Well, that was a typical response. His support was greatly appreciated. She self-consciously nudged Leonard as he rolled his eyes, looking less than thrilled with the idea of an entire Starship under Kirk's command.

"You could at least be a little more supportive towards your friend," she muttered under her breath when he looked at her pointedly.

"Oh, I'm anything but supportive with the idea of _how_ he got his title," Leonard scoffed after crossing his arms.

Emily tried not to smirk at that. There were worse ways of gaining the title as Captain. As much as she hated to admit it, Jim got off easily when it came to claiming the chair. Spock could have just as easily killed him if he was given the chance.

Uhura stood up from her post, glaring at Jim as she went after Spock, "I sure hope you know what you're doing, _Captain_."

"Yeah, so do I," he sighed.

She sighed and thought of all that was happening. Once again, she was reminded that when there was a will, there was a way. Jim managed to find a way back onto the Enterprise, and she suspected it wasn't just with Scotty's help. Whatever the reasons, with Jim as Captain, it meant they were going after Nero, no matter the consequences.

Once Jim had reached the Captain's chair, Emily could actually see that it suited him. During some of their many arguments, Jim would always bring up how much he could become Captain of a ship in less than three years.

Now, they were discussing plans to rescue Pike and take down Nero before he reached Earth, "Whatever the case, we need to get aboard Nero's ship undetected."

"And go in there, guns blazing, Jim?" Leonard scoffed. "No."

"I'm telling you," Sulu rolled his eyes, "the math doesn't—"

"Keptain Kork! Keptain Kork!" Chekov called, rushing over to them from where he'd been running calculations.

According to Pike, Chekov was a wizard when it came to mathematical equation solving, among other accomplishments he'd made at the Academy. The best part of it was, he was only seventeen. They had met once, during the Christmas celebration at the mess hall. But, aside from that, she really didn't know Chekov that well.

"Yes, Chekov," Kirk turned to him, "What is it?"

"Based on the fastest course from Wulcan, I have projected that Nero vill travel past Saturn. Like you said, ve need to stay inwisible to Nero or he'll destroy us. If Mr. Scott and Liaison Hayes can get us to varp factor four, and if ve drop out of varp behind one of Saturn's moons, say… Titan, the magnetic distortion from the planet's rings vill make us inwisible to Nero's sensors. From there, as long as the drill is not actiwated, we can beam aboard the enemy ship."

"Em?" Kirk looked at her for confirmation, and she nodded, knowing she would understand what Chekov was talking about.

Surprisingly, it would work, so long as they timed everything perfectly. Besides, she trusted Chekov's mathematical skills. He'd already proven himself worthy when he rescued them from falling to their deaths.

"It's sound," she replied.

"Aye," Scotty nodded in agreement, looking mildly surprised that she knew a thing or two about Engineering, "That might work."

"Wait a minute, kid, how old are you?" Leonard eyed Chekov suspiciously.

"Sewenteen, sir," Chekov replied.

"Oh, oh, good, he's seventeen!" Leonard remarked sarcastically.

"Give Pavel a break, Leonard. The kid got into Starfleet for a reason," she reminded him with a playful nudge. "Or have you forgotten that even a kid could be a genius?"

Leonard was about to make a retort when Spock beat him to it as he reached the bridge. At that point, even Chekov looked slightly embarrassed and proud that someone had stood up for him, and remembered his name.

"Doctor, Mr. Chekov is correct. I can confirm his telemetry. If Mr. Sulu is able to maneuver us into position, I can beam aboard Nero's ship, and if possible, bring back Captain Pike."

"I won't allow you to do that, Spock," Jim shook his head.

"Romulans and Vulcans share a common ancestry. Our culture similarities will make it easier for me to access the ship's computer to locate the device. Also…" He paused and took a deep breath, "My mother was human, which makes Earth the only home I have left."

Emily couldn't help but glance at Spock sympathetically when she realized what he was implying. She kept forgetting that his mother was also human. Amanda had visited the Academy on more than one occasion when they were taking classes, but they never had the chance to officially meet.

"I'm coming with you."

"I would cite regulation, but I know you will ignore it."

"See?" Kirk smirked in amusement, "We are getting to know each other."

"I'm coming too."

Jim looked at Emily in surprise as she declared that.

"No," Leonard frowned, clearly aware of the risks that were involved.

"Look, Captain Pike is the reason I enlisted in Starfleet, before I knew anything else," she snapped, spinning around to face him and ignoring the looks of confusion everyone gave her. Most of the other Cadets were... unaware of whatever the hell they called it. She could understand their confusion. "Whether you like it or not, I owe him. This is the least I could do."

Silence followed. Emily could see the argument in Leonard's eyes. He clenched his jaw and held back a sigh of frustration. Of course, she would argue with every valid argument he could come up with. Then again, even if he did make a valid argument, she'd still go about doing things her way anyways. She had a very nasty habit of putting her own life in danger just so that others wouldn't have to.

"Bones, she'll be fine," Jim reassured him with a nod. "She's a strong girl," he added with a smirk.

Emily only rolled her eyes at that, but she couldn't help but smirk as well.

"Yeah, I know she is," he muttered with a roll of his eyes, though she could see the slightest looks of amusement in them.

"Keep an eye on things while we're gone."

With those departing words, and a kiss on the forehead, Emily followed Kirk and Spock out of the bridge.

* * *

 **AN: So, I just found out that Star Trek: Beyond is coming out on digital on the 4th of October. Which means I'll most likely binge watch it XD At any rate, only a couple of chapters left before this is finished, and I move onto Into Darkness!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty Two**

" _Everybody talkin' like they need some proof, But what more do I need than to feel you Everybody talkin' like they need some proof, But what more do I need than to feel you..._ " - Feel It, TobyMac (Featuring Mr. Talkbox)

* * *

Plans had already been set in motion to determine how the would handle the situation with Nero. Emily knew that they needed to act fast before the Romulan gained an upper hand over the Federation. He'd already destroyed Planet Vulcan, and she had no doubt he wouldn't stop just there. Luckily, they were able to conclude how the plan would fall into place once everything was said and done.

That was what led Jim, Spock, Emily and Uhura to making their way to the transport room as Sulu's voice rang through the com, "Transporter room. We are in position above Titan."

"Really?" Scotty, who had beaten them there to get things ready for their transport while everyone else had grabbed their phasers, called back, "Fine job, Mr. Sulu. Well done."

"Are we ready, Scotty?" Jim asked.

"Unbelievably, sir, the ship is in position."

"Whatever happens, Mr. Sulu," Jim called through the com, "If you think you have the tactical advantage, you fire on that ship, even if we're still on board. That's an order."

"Yes, sir," Sulu replied.

"Otherwise, we'll contact Enterprise when we're ready to get beamed back."

"Good luck."

Emily took a deep breath before letting out a gusty sigh as she thought of what they were getting themselves into. And, she thought of the reasons she had enlisted in Starfleet in the first place. For the first time, she suddenly understood why Captain Pike had asked her to enlist. He saw potential in her. He didn't just send her back to the streets, which was exactly what would have happened had she refused. She'd arrived in this world with little to know knowledge about the people, or how things worked. But now, she was willing to risk her life for them. Funny how things turned out that way.

As they reached the transporter pad, Emily almost smirked as she saw Spock and Uhura, kissing. She never would have imagined that those two were together. Watching Spock actually kiss a woman from Earth was the strangest sight she could have imagined. Then she caught the look Kirk was giving them, and rolled her eyes. Kirk had a very immature way of handling displays of intimacy out in the public. Which was one of the many reasons she and Leonard had kept it private for as long as they could.

"Jim, don't you dare," she muttered.

"What? I didn't say anything," he protested. No, but she could see from the way he was watching that his thoughts were loud and clear. "By the way, how long have you and Bones been a thing?" he asked with a coy smile.

Emily rolled her eyes at that. She shouldn't have had to explain herself. Or justify the fact that she and Leonard had been seeing each other for the last two years. What ultimately led to that decision had turned into one of the best choices she could have made, even if Jim decided to treat it childishly.

"Do I really have to justify that with an answer?" she retorted, crossing her arms as Jim's smirk only widened. "Two years, give or take," she relented.

"My God, and he didn't bother telling me?" Jim sounded almost hurt, but the smug amusement told her he was anything but.

"Asshole," she muttered under her breath. "And something tells me you already knew," she added with a roll of her eyes.

"Eh, it was obvious from across the room," he shrugged, though grin in his eyes told her everything she needed to know. "You and Bones couldn't be separated for a week without losing your tempers. By the way, I get to be the Godfather if you plan on having kids."

At that point, she couldn't hide the shock that followed. She promptly followed with a slug across the arm, which he rubbed seconds later, though didn't look the least bit surprised by her reaction. Neither of them planned on having kids in the future, even if their relationship got that far.

"You're an asshole, Kirk," she grumbled crossly.

"His attitude must be rubbing off on you."

Emily almost smirked at the thought. She'd had a snarky attitude long before meeting Leonard, and Jim knew it. He should have known better at that point not to say it out loud. Especially when they were in such close proximity with Spock and Uhura. The problem was, he would often say that without thinking, and of course, she would constantly remind him that she'd been that way long before meeting the two of them.

"This is exactly why we didn't bother telling you in the first place," she grumbled with a roll of her eyes.

For all that it was worth though, Jim didn't seem the slightest surprised by that statement. Once again, he took it in stride.

"Anytime you're ready, Mr. Spock," he added after noticing that Spock and Uhura were still kissing.

"I will be back, Nyota," Spock whispered as the woman pulled away.

"You better be," she replied, stepping back and looking at the three of them as they took their positions. "I'll be monitoring your frequency."

"Thanks," Emily smiled as Uhura nodded and rushed out.

While she still fumed over the fact that Spock had used Uhura to look up her files, she didn't necessarily blame the Vulcan for his curiosity. Anyone would have felt the same way if they got wind of her records. It wasn't as if there was anything beyond the three years she had woken up on this world.

"Okey-dokey, then," Scotty said cheerfully, albeit looking slightly frazzled with their display, "If there's any common sense in the design of the enemy ship, I should be putting you somewhere in the cargo bay. There shouldn't be a soul in sight," he reassured them.

 _Right, because everything goes right when you say that_ , Emily thought with a roll of her eyes. She suspected that Scotty was a gifted Engineer, given the fact that he was able to get himself and Jim aboard the Enterprise while it was still at full warp. But, his transport must have backfired on him, because he had been soaked when they were taken to the bridge.

"Energize," Kirk told him.

Seconds later, and swirling lights surrounded them. Emily would never get used to the sensation of being transported like this. That pins and needles feeling always seemed to last longer with each transport, but she suspected it had something to do with whatever those creatures had done to her.

Of course, she had been right to think things would go wrong the moment they were deposited in the cargo bay of the Narada. It was filled with Romulans, who happened to see them and started shouting in their language. The Romulans were already on high alert as it was, and having intruders invade their ship certainly didn't help matters. She hadn't missed the fact that most of them were heavily armed and willing to fire without question.

The Enterprise team quickly ducked under whatever cover they could find as the Romulans immediately opened fire. Emily winced as she fired her own phaser. She'd never been much of a good shot when it came to firing at a distance, which was why she preferred using her fists.

"Captain!" All of them looked up as one of the Romulans gave the alarm, "We have Starfleet Officers aboard the ship! One of them is Vulcan!"

This time, Emily had finally hit her target as the other Romulans began to fall around her. Jim had fired at another Romulan that was getting a little too close for comfort, only the shot didn't necessarily kill him. He was squirming on the ground, clutching his leg as Spock emerged from his cover.

"Spock," Jim nodded to him, "We'll cover you."

Spock nodded and got up, heading over to the Romulan and quickly hitting him across the face with the bottom of his phaser to knock him out. Emily watched with interest as Spock reached out and touched the man's temple. She had never actually seen a Vulcan mind meld before, and the process looked fascinating.

Jim suddenly jumped forward and blasted at a Romulan that was trying to sneak up on him, making Spock spin around.

"Do you know where it is? The black hole device?" Spock nodded and stood.

"Yes," he replied. "And Captain Pike."

Spock led them as quickly as he could to the ship that contained the black hole device. Emily's eyes narrowed as she saw the hovering red ball of liquid inside a clear glass tube. The stark white room reminded her a little too much of a hospital room. The small, cramped space made her feel uneasy enough as she eyed the device warily.

"I foresee a complication," Spock began as he looked around the ship, then back at Kirk. "The design of this ship is far more advanced than I anticipated."

"Voice print and face recognition analysis enabled," a computerized voice beat him to it, "Welcome back, Ambassador Spock."

Both Emily and Spock frowned at that, while Jim just kept on a straight face. He definitely knew something that clearly neither of them knew.

"Wow," Jim began slowly, looking _way_ too innocent for Emily's liking, "That's weird."

Spock eyed him a moment.

"Computer, what is your manufacturing origin?" he asked.

"Stardate 2387," the computer replied. "Commissioned by the Vulcan Science Academy."

Emily narrowed her eyes when the computer responded with that. Okay, Jim was definitely hiding something.

"You have a really shitty way of hiding the truth," she muttered under her breath.

Jim just tried to hide the smirk that followed while Spock quirked an eyebrow. Crude language or not, she had a feeling that Jim had done more than find Scotty on the planet he was sent to. Whatever the case, she just hoped that he was right.

"It appears that you have been keeping important information from me," Spock said in an accusing tone.

"You can fly this thing, right?" Jim asked, ignoring Spock's remark.

"Something tells me I already have."

"Well then, go with that feeling," Jim said quickly, "Good luck."

"Wait," Spock stopped him before he could make a break for it, "The statistical likelihood that our plan will succeed is less than 4.3%."

"It'll work."

"Of course it will," Emily rolled her eyes, earning a glare seconds later.

Spock straightened up and stared at them for a few seconds… Honestly, it was almost impossible to read his emotions. She kept forgetting that Vulcans were infamous for purging any emotional turmoil that would interfere with their lives.

"In the event that I do not return, please tell Lieutenant Uhura—"

"Spock, it'll work," Kirk cut in.

"And tell her yourself," Emily added with a nod. She might not know much about Spock's relationship with Uhura, and she really didn't want to know how it had started in the first place, but she did know a thing or two about keeping their relationship strong, "The message will mean more to her coming from you than us."

"Come on," Jim grabbed her hand, leading her out of the small ship and into the Narada.

Once they had reached the drill deck, Emily could easily see Nero standing there. Her phaser was out, aimed at any Romulan that dared get too close for comfort. However, when Nero turned to look at them, she flinched as his piercing gaze fell on her.

"Nero," Kirk began, "Order your men to disable the drill, and release Captain Pike, or we will—"

Jim wasn't even given the chance to finish when a Romulan ambushed him from behind, knocking him down as Nero grabbed hold of Emily's phaser and yanked it out of her firm grip. Her heart was pounding with dread as Nero backhanded her as well, sending her to the floor.

"I don't recognize you from the history books," Nero sneered as he managed to overpower her. "Your very pathetic existence will amount to nothing."

She flinched at that. Yes, she wasn't from this world. Yes, she had made mistakes before even arriving in this world. And yes, even her existence was probably worth nothing. But, she was not going to let Nero get away with what he had done. Too many lives had been lost for her to forgive the bastard for what he did. As she tried reaching for her phaser, Nero suddenly kicked it further out of reach and pressed the tip of his foot against her arm. It took everything she had not to struggle free from his grip. She knew he could easily crush her if he wanted to, and the triumphant look written across his face told her he knew that as well.

"Nero!"

Jim had broken free of the Romulans grip, doing whatever he could to catch Nero's attention. Finally, Nero had turned his attention on Jim, releasing his grip on Emily as a fight commenced between the two as she gasped for air, hoping to gain enough momentum to fight back.

"I know your face from Earth's history," Nero told Jim as he gained the upper-hand. "James T. Kirk was considered to be a great man, became the Captain of the USS Enterprise…" He laughed, slamming Jim to the floor. Emily couldn't help but wince at that. "But that was another life," he stood over him, rising Jim's phaser in his hand, "A life I will deprive you of, just like I did your father."

"Nero!" The Romulan had grabbed Jim in a choke-hold, until Emily shouted his name. She was trembling with fury as she glared at him. "You were right about one thing, you bastard. I'm not from this world, and I'm damn proud of it!"

Before Nero could make sense of what she meant, she lunged forward and punched him across the face, hard. The impact was enough for the Romulan to drop Jim, and stagger back in surprise. Nero only scowled at them as she stood protectively in front of Jim, ignoring the instincts screaming at her to get away. Narrowing his eyes with fury, Nero suddenly charged after her. Years of training in the Academy kicked in as he reached her, and, using as much force as she could manage with her arms, she sent him hurtling over the edge of the platform.

"Jesus Christ, remind me not to piss you off," Jim groaned as she rolled her eyes and helped him back to his feet.

Though, Jim was fully aware of what she could be like when pissed off. He'd learned that the hard way. As Emily peered over the ledge, she realized he hadn't fallen very far from where she'd thrown him, and was already back on his feet.

"Captain Nero!" A voice called over the com. "The Vulcan ship has been taken, the drill has been destroyed!"

"Spock!" Nero screamed, turning to run towards the drill room. "Spock!"

"Come on." The two of them were about to leave when the Romulan Jim had knocked out earlier was about to throw a punch at him. He ducked, just in time for Emily to avoid the full brunt of his blow. "Phaser, now!"

Giving him a nod as he ducked once again, Emily made a run for the phaser she had dropped, thanking her lucky stars that Nero hadn't taken it. Once she'd grabbed it, she spun around in time to see the Romulan grab Kirk in a choke-hold, gripping his throat far too tightly for comfort.

"Your species is even weaker than I expected," the Romulan sneered. Gripping the phaser tighter, Emily narrowed her eyes as Kirk struggled to speak as the Romulan lifted him up. "You can't even speak."

"She has my gun," he managed to wheeze out.

The Romulan seemed to gather what Jim was implying, and dropped him, spinning around, only to see that Emily was right behind him. She didn't even give him a chance to speak as she fired the phaser, thankful she had a fairly decent enough aim as the impact knocked him over the ledge.

"You okay?" she asked once she'd helped him back up.

"Never better," he muttered, only for the two of them to stumble as the entire ship suddenly shook.

Emily bit back a groan as she realized the Enterprise had arrived, with Spock at the helm. While the other Romulans were preoccupied with the Enterprise, and Spock, she and Kirk made their way over to where Captain Pike was being held. She was relieved to find that Pike was still alive, barely, but strapped to a board of some kind. She grimaced as she realized the Romulans must have tortured information out of him, or at least tried.

They didn't bother waiting for the Romulan who was standing guard to fall down as he was knocked out before they raced over to him, making sure he was okay.

"Captain Pike," Jim reached out for him, trying to undo the straps that bound him. He looked to be in worse shape than she'd hoped, but he was alive, and that was what matter. She couldn't help but flinch at the sight – it only brought back painful memories of her own time in captivity. While she didn't remember most of what those creatures had done, she did remember being strapped down on that metal table. "Captain Pike, sir?"

"Kirk? Hayes? What are you doing here?" the Captain asked groggily.

"Captain's orders," Jim replied.

"Couldn't just leave you behind, sir," Emily added before spinning around to fire at a Romulan that was trying to sneak up on them.

The Romulan fell to the ground, leaving Jim and Pike staring at her in amazement as she put her phaser back in its holster. Neither of them were aware of how much she had taken advantage of her training while at the Academy. She silently thanked herself for learning how to handle phasers like the weapons from her world. There wasn't too much of a difference between their weapons, but she'd never actually handled a gun until starting classes at the Academy.

She and Jim exchanged a knowing look before Jim hailed for the Enterprise to beam them up. Time felt as though it had slowed down as the swirling lights surrounded them once more, both of them holding Pike up. This time, that pins and needles feeling didn't seem to affect her as much as they were brought back to the transporter pads just as the Romulans were shouting about the Vulcan ship heading straight for them in a collision.

"Perfect timing, Scotty!" Jim exclaimed to the man sitting at the transport commands.

"I've never beamed four people from two targets onto one pad before!" Scotty cheered.

"Jim, Em!" Leonard rushed in.

"Bones!" Jim laughed, for once, relieved to see the doctor as he and Emily struggled to keep Pike from falling.

"I've got him," Leonard rushed over to take examine him right away.

"That was pretty good," Scotty grinned.

"You did good, Scotty," Emily reassured him with a smile.

The Scotsman only grinned back, looking relieved that someone had appreciated his line of work.

"And it's not over yet," Jim reminded them.

Emily nodded in agreement at that, knowing full well they still had a Romulan ship to take care of.

…

Jim, Spock and Emily ran into the bridge, with Chekov being the first to report their current status, "Keptain, the enemy ship is losing power. Their shields are down, sir."

"Hail them now," Jim ordered.

"Aye."

Chekov did just that, and Nero appeared on the forward viewscreen. Emily sucked in a breath as she watched the Narada slowly get pulled into the black hole that was formed when Spock crashed the Vulcan ship. The force of the explosion had caused an enormous black hole to spread, swallowing anything in its path.

"This is Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise," Jim stated, "Your ship is compromised. You're too close to the singularity to provide assistance, which we will provide."

Emily frowned at that, having not expected Jim to show the slightest compassion to the very people who had destroyed Vulcan, and so many other lives, including his fathers.

"Captain, what are you doing?" Spock asked, having thought the same thing.

"You show them compassion; it may be the only way to earn peace with the Romulans. It's logic, Spock," Jim explained, glancing at the Vulcan. Wow, who knew Jim actually understood logic? "Thought you'd like that."

"No, not really. Not this time," Spock replied.

 _Nero will only turn his offer down_ , Emily thought with a roll of her eyes. Nero was foolish enough to sacrifice his own life, and the lives of his crew members, all for petty revenge. She almost felt pity for the other Romulans who didn't have a say in the matter. They were probably beginning to regret following Nero this far, unless they too felt pride for what they had accomplished on Planet Vulcan.

"I would rather suffer the end of Romulus a thousand times," the angry Romulan spat, "I would rather die in agony, than accept assistance from you!"

"You got it," Jim nodded with a shrug, "Arm phasers. Fire everything we've got."

"Yes sir," Sulu replied, putting in the command as the Enterprise fired at the enemy ship, destroying it as it sunk deeper into the black hole.

"Sulu, let's go home," Kirk grinned.

"Yes, sir."

Emily felt her heart nearly skip a beat when she realized the ship was drifting closer to the black hole. Jim's smile faded when he saw it, too.

"Why aren't we at warp?"

"Ve are, sir," Chekov confirmed. Jim frowned and opened the com to Engineering.

"Kirk to Engineering, get us out of here, Scotty!"

"You bet your arse, Captain!" a frantic sounding Scotty replied before a grunt followed, "Captain Kirk, the gravity walls has got us!"

"Go to maximum warp, push it!"

"I'm giving her all she's got, Captain!"

Emily flinched at that, as the entire bridge began cracking from the strain of being pulled into the black hole while other areas of the ship were straining not to get caught as well. Now, she understood where Leonard was getting at with his fear of being out in space.

"Sir, I may be able to eject the core and detonate it," Scotty's voice rang through the com once more, "It should give us enough of a boost to push us away, but it cannae be guaranteed that it'll do anything." Her eyes widened as she realized that would work, and it was a risk worth taking.

"Don't care, just do it!" Kirk ordered.

Everyone turned to see a few warp cores being sent into space, right into the black hole, and, just as they passed the ship, they exploded on impact, sending out a small wave of energy that was strong enough to send the ship flying until they were safely away. Emily breathed out a sigh of relief the moment it was over, just in time to receive a crushing hug from Jim as Leonard rushed in to make sure everyone on the bridge was okay.

"Are you okay?" he asked once he reached them, relieved to see that no one had received any injuries.

"Never better," she laughed and threw her arms around him in a hug, ignoring the scowl that followed.

Though, it didn't go unnoticed that he'd hugged her back and kissed her firmly on the lips, relieved that she was okay, and that they hadn't died in some metal death trap. Doctor McCoy and Liaison Hayes would have a lot of explaining to do when this was over.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty Three**

Pride swelled within Emily as she stood alongside the rest of the Enterprise Cadets, standing between Leonard and Jim as they were addressed by the Council. Three years ago, she would have never pictured herself doing anything like this. Heck, three years ago, she was still struggling to find out what she wanted to do after college. When she was told by Pike to enlist in Starfleet, she had little to no idea what he meant by that. Now, she had finally found her place in the world, and she couldn't be happier.

Once the Enterprise had returned to Earth for repairs that were already underway, everyone was assembled in the same room where Jim's hearing had been held just days ago. It was ironic when Emily thought about how they ended up in the same place again. She knew that the outcome could have been entirely different had Jim not taken things into his hands. As much as she found herself respecting Spock now more than ever, she had a feeling that they never would have gotten this far if Jim didn't take over.

"This assembly calls Captain James Tiberius Kirk," Admiral Barnett called as he stood before gathered Cadets who had survived the attack on Vulcan.

To everyone's relief, there had been a few survivors during Nero's attack. They managed to use the escape pods on their ships to evacuate before they were torn apart by Nero's destruction, and they regrouped on Earth. The few people who did survive seemed more than pleased that it was the Enterprise crew who had stopped Nero. While the reasons for them being there had been harrowing, they still bore the same pride as everyone else in the room.

Jim stepped forward, and the look in his eyes told Emily that he was more than ready for this position. She could still remember the endless conversations they would have in the mess hall about what he would do when he became Captain. It almost seemed surreal that they were standing there now as graduates. The idea that she had graduated from Starfleet Academy was almost as daunting as the mission had been.

"Due to your inspirational valor and supreme dedication to your comrades is in keeping with the highest traditions of service, and to reflect utmost credit to yourself, your crew, and the Federation, it is my honor to award you with this commendation. By Starfleet Order 28455, you are hereby directed to report Admiral Pike, USS Enterprise, for duty as his relief."

Emily couldn't hide the smile that followed as she looked at Pike. He had said that he was proud of how far she had come, from the woman who woke up with no knowledge of this world to who she was now. She couldn't help but see him as a father-figure, after realizing that her own father never would have given such encouragement. Pike was the one who had insisted she enlist. He was the one who saw that she had potential, and gave her more encouragement than her father could ever give her.

"I relieve you, sir," Jim replied after looking at Pike as well. Pike nodded at that.

"I am relieved."

And, he _did_ look relieved. After all that had happened, Emily couldn't really blame him. Captain Pike, or Admiral Pike, had looked as if he'd been through hell when they found him on the Narada. After spending a good three to fours in surgery, he was now restrained to a wheelchair as Jim addressed him. It was clear that being relieved of duty meant more to Pike than he was letting on. She knew that he had been planning on retiring soon after the Enterprise launched.

 _I wish I could have seen him back in his heyday_ , she suddenly thought after realizing that she never really had the chance to serve under his Captainship. Though it had only been for a short time, she had seen just how courageous Pike was when the situation demanded it.

"Thank you, sir."

Emily didn't miss the look flashing in Pike's eyes as he looked at Jim. He was proud. Proud of all that Kirk had accomplished, despite what everyone else had said about him. Emily couldn't hide the smile that followed, realizing that in a way, Pike was like a father-figure to Kirk as well. Neither of them would have gotten as far as they did if it wasn't for Pike's sheer will to believe that they had potential. And the more Emily thought about it, the more she was grateful to have taken Pike's advice.

"Your father would be proud."

Jim's face softened at the mention of his father. Though it had never been an easy conversation with him, he did want to meet his father's standards. Emily knew that it wasn't easy living up to the reputation that Captain George Kirk had earned. But, Jim was off to a good start. His actions on the Enterprise spoke a thousand words of what he was capable of. And it didn't take a genius to know that he would eventually follow in his father's footsteps.

"Congratulations, Captain."

She smirked as Jim threw her a knowing look while the rest of the crowd congratulated him, along with the rest of the Enterprise crew. She couldn't be more proud of her brother-not-by blood. Despite all the arguments they'd had in the past, and how annoying Kirk could be at times, she was ultimately happy that he became Captain, just like he'd always dreamed. It was a position that he of all people deserved after everything that had happened.

"You know, you never did explain what the heck's going on between you and Bones," he said in a slightly accusing tone.

That was enough for Emily to roll her eyes in annoyance, especially since Leonard was within earshot of whatever they were saying. She knew that he had been waiting for the right time to tell Leonard that he'd discovered their little 'secret'. Seeing the look written across Leonard's face only left her wishing that she had slapped a hand over Jim's mouth sooner.

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about, Kirk," Leonard griped.

In the split second that he managed a small smile during their ceremony, it was swept away with those accusing words. Not that Emily couldn't blame him for wanting to keep the truth from slipping out. Neither of them had been sure of how they would explain how it started in the first place if anyone found out.

"Oh, come on, everyone saw you two kissing on the bridge," Jim rolled his eyes. "You're not gonna lie to me and say there's nothing going on."

"It is curious that you and the doctor would show such open displays of intimacy in a professional environment," Spock put in as the crowd began departing.

By now, Emily was struggling not to burst out laughing as she caught the look in Leonard's eyes. It was clear that both of them had a lot to discuss, given the fact that more and more people were starting to jump to conclusions. Though they themselves didn't know what to call whatever it was they were, she knew in the back of her mind that they were a 'couple'. It was difficult to admit out loud for both of them, purely out of stubbornness and pride.

"It was just a heat of the moment," she offered helpfully.

Though, there was no point in denying that _something_ was going on between them. And as such, there could be serious consequences because of it. She grimaced at the thought of what would happen if the Council got word of what they were up to. The regulations had been written in a way that families weren't allowed to work aboard Starships for safety reasons. After the Kelvin incident, she could understand why they were written that way.

 _Though we're technically not a family_ , she reminded herself. She wasn't even sure if they would make it that far. A larger part of her mind wanted desperately for that to become a reality. But a more realistic part of her mind kept telling her not to jump to conclusions. Not after the last failed relationship she had been in.

"Didn't look that way from my perspective," Jim smirked as Spock soon left with Uhura, Chekov and Sulu. "Didn't think you had it in ya, Bones. For all that it's worth, Hayes is perfect for you."

"Dammit man, don't you know when to stay out of someone's business?" Leonard snapped, sounding more infuriated by the minute as the rest of the crowd had left them in the lecture hall.

Though, Emily wasn't surprised to find Pike the last to leave, having watched the whole thing in amusement. He just shook his head while trying to hide the smirk that followed after leaving the building. Even he knew better than to get under Leonard's skin the way Jim always seemed to.

"Nope. By the way, I hope you plan on using protection, or something—"

"You're an ass, Kirk," Emily suddenly cut him off this time.

She tried to hide the furious blush that followed when she shoved him out of the room without warning, slamming the door on his face. She would have thought for sure that she had heard and seen everything by that point. But hearing Jim's comment on what they did behind closed doors just added to her embarrassment.

Both she and Leonard let out sighs of exasperation before collapsing to the floor. Neither of them were exactly prepared for what would happen after the attack on Vulcan. Needless to say, it left them both feeling mind numbingly exhausted.

"I'm gonna kill him," Leonard griped after a few moments of awkward silence filled the now empty room.

"He was going to find out sooner or later, Leonard," she reminded him with a roll of her eyes while staring at the ceiling.

Worst of it was, Spock knew. She had no doubt that sooner or later, Spock would file a report on them. She desperately wanted to remind Spock of his own 'relationship' with Uhura, when she thought better of it. The Vulcan would probably just find whatever damn excuse he could and claim his relationship with Uhura was valid, whereas theirs was illogical. Whatever the case, they needed to work out whatever the hell they called it. Because, the more people found out, the more confusing it would get.

For a while, neither of them moved as they laid there on the floor while contemplating what Jim had said. Emily found herself debating whether or not she wanted to call themselves a couple. Leonard seemed just as uneasy with the idea of calling themselves that, and she couldn't necessarily blame him.

Eventually, they settled for leaving the lecture hall before one of the instructors kicked them out. She knew that they had a lot to discuss upon returning to the dorms. The problem was, she had no clue where to go with said discussion. She found herself glancing at Leonard self-consciously when he glared at nothing in particular.

"So… what _are_ we going to do about this?" she finally cut through the awkward silence that followed.

Leonard threw her a dubious look as they reached the dorm in question. Since they started sharing rooms, there wasn't necessarily a need for her to gather whatever clothing she would need for the following morning. She just hoped Leonard wasn't going to use this as an opportunity to turn her away. After everything that had happened recently, she wasn't sure if she could handle another nasty surprise thrown at her.

"You're askin' the wrong person," he sighed after running a hand through his hair. "I'm still tryin' to figure out what the hell we call this."

Emily couldn't hide the guilty smile that followed. As much as she hated to admit it, she understood where he was getting at with that statement. He wasn't opposed to calling themselves a couple. But, after what happened between him and his ex-wife, she didn't blame him for wanting to be cautious.

"I'm not going to push you into doing anything you're uncomfortable with," she reminded him.

His face softened as they walked into the room, both of them taking their hats off and letting out frustrated sighs. Their day had been exhausting enough as it was without Jim making it worse for them. Emily found herself looking down at the floor guiltily when she brought that up. She wasn't going to push him. Not unless he felt ready for the next step.

"Darlin', you're too damn patient for your own good," he grumbled.

Though, his response was more of a compliment than a complaint. She only smirked as his hands snaked around her waist. After everything that had happened, she was more than willing to give in as he pulled her in close.

"Then it's a good thing I am," she replied with a charming smile. "Because you're worth the wait."

In that moment, she saw his face light up in ways she never expected. Leonard suddenly captured her lips with his, and the familiar rush of electricity surged between them. Her arms wrapped instinctively around his neck, and the moment his tongue sought entrance was when she obliged willingly. It wasn't until the need for air demanded that they reluctantly pull apart.

"What if we got ourselves an apartment?" he suddenly asked. Emily rose an eyebrow in surprise at his suggestion, but she suddenly realized what he was implying. "Rent would be a hell of a lot cheaper instead of havin' two apartments—"

"Leonard," she cut him off while trying not to laugh at the eagerness in his voice. They'd talked about getting an apartment together before. But at the time, she had been reluctant purely because they didn't have to pay for the cost of living at the Academy. Financially, renting an apartment made sense. Besides, they were already sleeping together in the same dorm. It wouldn't make much of a difference if they rented an apartment near the Academy once it was said and done. "Would you kiss me again if I said yes?"

Leonard only offered a lopsided grin before doing just that. And in that moment, neither of them could complain about how much they meant to one another. The moment they reached the bed was when Emily knew that she had made the right choice. That night when he'd asked her to sleep with him was one of the best decisions she could have made. And something told her that their future was about to get a lot brighter.

* * *

 **EDIT: Okay, I'm super sorry for anyone who is thoroughly confused if they're re-reading this chapter. It changed because I made the stupid mistake of merging chapter 22 (which was rewritten in case anyone didn't notice) with this one. And of course, I didn't have this chapter backed up. So, I had to rewrite this chapter and will more than likely edit it constantly until it makes sense. Again, I'm really sorry for the confusion... it shouldn't have happened, and I feel horrible that it did :(**


	24. Part 2: Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty Four**

" _I know I could lie but I'm telling the truth, Wherever I go there's a shadow of you I know I could try looking for something new, But wherever I go, I'll be looking for you Some people lie but they're looking for magic, Others are quietly going insane I feel alive when I'm close to the madness, No easy love could ever make me feel the same..._ " - Wherever I Go, OneRepublic

* * *

A year had gone by since the graduation ceremony.

Within that year, Emily and Leonard had found an apartment in the same building as Jim, unsurprisingly. The three of them would often spend the majority of whatever free time they had in their apartment, either having dinner, watching movies or discussing the next mission of the Enterprise. It almost became a habit for the trio to spend time together, especially since the attack on Vulcan. Sometimes, Spock and Uhura would stop by along with a few other familiar faces, such as Scotty, Chekov and Sulu. Jim himself liked to call it 'bonding' time with the Command Crew, because it was one of the rare moments where they could just be themselves without Starfleet watching their every move.

The fact that the crew had remained a tight-knit family was one of the many reasons Emily had found a fondness for this world. She got along well with them, albeit there were a few arguments here and there between her and Spock. The Vulcan was constantly contradicting her judgement because he knew she wasn't from this world. He'd point out the illogical reasons behind her choices, to which Uhura would roll her eyes and remind him that most people would make the same choices.

She and Sulu would often spar at the gym during whatever free-time they had, and they had an appreciation for decent sparring partners as well. Which could come in handy when it came to a very distracted Jim Kirk. Scotty was the best when it came to finding a drinking buddy, especially with Jim and Leonard involved. Emily soon found he could drink almost as much as Jim on a good night. And, his hands in engineering were greatly appreciated. The two of them were often coming up with ways to improve the Enterprise.

As for Chekov, Emily couldn't help but admire the kid for his enthusiasm and his knowledge. To this day, Chekov was still one of the brightest young crew members of the Enterprise, and he had a taste in movies similar to her own. So of course, he was usually the first to make suggestions that everyone could agree on. The funny thing was, they got along so well because she was one of the few crew members who called him by his first name, even while on duty. That added with the fact that she could speak fluent Russian had helped matters.

It _was_ hard to believe that an entire year had passed since the attack on Vulcan. While the species was still considered endangered, it was clear that Vulcans would remain strong. Emily was sure of that, especially after seeing how stubborn Spock himself could be. When Jim explained what had happened on Delta Vega, part of her wasn't surprised he'd met an older, wiser version of Spock. Spock Prime, as he was called, had helped with the establishment of New Vulcan, and, the species as a whole.

Within that year, the missions that the Enterprise underwent were mostly exploration and observation of recently discovered planets. Jim had, unsurprisingly, assigned her as acting Captain while he and Spock were part of the away team. Oh, she had argued with him about how ridiculous the idea was. But, Jim had told her that she was the most qualified of the Command crew. As Liaison, she had knowledge in all fields, which gave her the opportunity to work alongside just about everyone on the ship.

To top things off, she and Leonard had continued pursuing their relationship despite the fear of Spock filing a report on them. Both had agreed that life was too damn short to live in fear of what might happen. Though, ironically, neither were willing to openly admit that they loved each other. It was really confusing to most of the people aboard the Enterprise. Emily understood why Leonard was so reluctant to openly admit the truth. Despite it all, they really couldn't be apart for any period of time. Either Leonard would worry too much that she had gotten herself into some crazy situation, or she would lose her temper until he was there to calm her down.

Her face was buried in a pillow, with an arm wrapped protectively around her like a warm blanket. Nights like last night weren't entirely a rare occurrence for her and Leonard, but sleeping in was a whole different story. She was trying to block out the sunlight that would eventually wake her up. It didn't help the situation when she heard both their coms go off at the same time. Leonard only groaned in annoyance, and she could hardly blame him. Letting out a sigh of frustration, she reluctantly reached out for the com on her nightstand and read the message warily.

' _Report to Hangar 1 immediately, Liaison Hayes_.'

"Can't get one blasted break, can we?" Leonard griped after she read it out loud while struggling not to giggle as he tickled the back of her neck with his lips.

"You're making it impossible to take anything seriously," she informed him after setting down the com. "And, something tells me you got the same message." She didn't miss the devilish smirk that followed before Leonard reached for his com, quirking an eyebrow as he realized she was right. Now, it was his turn to sigh in frustration. "I think for this morning, sex is off the table," she added with a knowing look.

"You just wanna suck the joy out of everything, darlin'," he grumbled as she sat up and smirked at him playfully.

"Well, you _do_ have a reputation to uphold in the medbay, doctor," she reminded him with a laugh, ignoring the scowl that followed as she climbed out of the bed and got dressed.

Their most recent mission happened to be a Class M planet known as Nibiru. It was recently discovered that an indigenous species had claimed territory of their own, and were starting to show the signs of an early society. And, of course, the Enterprise crew was assigned to assessing the planet. As the newest ship in the Fleet, and the Flagship for the Fleet, it only made sense that the Enterprise crew was chosen for this mission. This should be fun.

…

"So, what are the readings on the planet, Mr. Spock?" Jim asked when the crew had taken their places on the Enterprise hours later.

They'd already set course for Nibiru once the coordinates were punched in, and now it was just a matter of figuring out how to _handle_ the assessment. The readings hadn't been good. From what Emily gathered after seeing what the scans were able to pick up, the planet itself was inhabited with mostly volcanoes. Some of those volcanoes were highly active, with one large enough to destroy the entire planet if it was given the chance.

"The latest readings indicated that there was intense volcanic activity," Spock explained once they'd fallen into the normal routine. "The readings suggest that the activity is strong enough to trigger an eruption powerful enough to destroy the planet."

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Leonard asked as he stood beside Emily.

She herself had been oddly quiet throughout the whole trip. Thinking about the mission at hand left her wondering if there was a way they could save the indigenous people living on that planet without causing an interference to their culture. It wasn't a surprise to anyone that the two of them were together. At this point, it was only a waiting game to see whether Leonard would fess up and make a formal announcement about the fact that they actually were a couple.

"There is," Spock replied with a nod, "But, it would violate Starfleet's prime directive."

Jim frowned in confusion, until Emily sighed and shook her head.

"He means the cold fusion device we came up with a month ago," she explained.

She and Scotty had been working on a cold fusion device over a month ago during a nightly drinking session with Jim and Leonard. They often worked on projects together, and she spent most of her time working in Engineering, where an extra hand was always helpful. Needless to say, their project had been successful after spending more than a few hours trying to fix the device in question.

"That is correct," Spock nodded once again. "The device that you and Mr. Scott developed would be powerful enough to freeze the lava, and render it inert."

"Hang on there, you'd have to actually be _in_ the volcano to trigger the device," Scotty pointed out, frowning at the thought of putting himself through that.

"Is there a problem with that?" Jim asked when he noticed Chekov's frown, ignoring Scotty's valid point.

"There vould be too much interference from the smoke for us to beam him down or up," Chekov explained. "A shuttle might vork, but it is risky."

 _Yeah, no kidding_ , Emily thought. Having to fly a shuttle over an active volcano was dangerous enough, but it would also mean the indigenous population might see them. But, Spock seemed to contradict her once again with his own theory.

"A shuttle might not hold out in the smoke and ash," Emily pointed out.

"It may not hold for long, but a shuttle would prove a more efficient way of reaching the volcano," the Vulcan remarked.

"And you're actually willing to risk your life just by proving me wrong?" she snapped under her breath.

Spock just looked at her pointedly, and was about to say something in his defense when Jim threw him a warning look. It seemed that contradicting her was one of Spock's favorite things to do. She wasn't afraid to admit that his behavior infuriated her more than she'd let on. She just didn't have the patience to deal with someone who was constantly looking for the logical reasoning in things.

"And what about the natives?" Leonard asked pointedly. Emily stiffened when she caught the smirk that followed as Jim looked at him. Jim had this nasty habit of dragging either herself or Leonard onto these crazy missions, and Leonard had already guessed what was on his mind as a look of panic flashed in his eyes. "No, you are not dragging me down there on a suicide mission!"

"Ah, come on, Bones," Jim said cheekily, "You're not afraid of a little planetary exploration, are you? Besides, you're the one who was so interested in saving the species."

"Fine," Leonard grumbled with a roll of his eyes.

They had already made plans to conceal the ship underwater, in the ocean. After discussing (more like arguing with Scotty for a good thirty minutes; he made a valid point about hiding a high-class Starship in the middle of the ocean), the decision was finally made that Jim and Leonard would spend the night on the planet before drawling the indigenous people away from the volcano, where the shuttle would launch the device and render the volcano inert.

"You're acting Captain when Spock leaves," Jim added once the plans were finalized, looking at Emily with a grin.

She simply rolled her eyes and nodded, having already realized that a debate over how bad of an idea that sounded would just fly right over his head. Besides, it wasn't the first time he had given her the position, and it most likely wouldn't be the last. It seemed that lately, Jim had been setting her up as acting Captain more often than she would have liked, preparing her for whatever hell he would get the crew in.

"Just don't get yourselves killed, please," she muttered as they reached the transport pads.

Leonard merely shot Jim a glare before kissing her on the forehead.

"I can't make that guarantee," Jim replied with a smirk as the swirling lights began to appear.

Emily crossed her arms as they disappeared, and shook her head. Some things never changed.

…

Spock's team had left early in the following morning. As the away team went on with their mission to the volcano, Emily's eyes focused on the blinking lights that represented Jim and Leonard. One of the blinking lights was currently making a run for it, and, she had no doubt that Jim had stumbled upon the indigenous people. Of course, they weren't the only people she needed to keep track of, as her eyes fell upon the lights representing the shuttle that carried Spock, Uhura and Sulu. She blinked as the lights had suddenly stopped moving.

"Jim, what happened?" she asked after opening the com.

"Our wonderful Captain just stunned our ride!" came Leonard's angry shout from behind, before Jim could explain himself.

Emily held back a sigh of frustration as the lights began moving faster than before. Something in the back of her mind told her that of course, Jim would get himself stuck in this mess, and drag Leonard with him. It seemed almost nostalgic, considering this is exactly what would have happened at the Academy.

"Open all coms," she ordered after realizing this was something the shuttle team should hear as well.

"Kirk to Shuttle 1," Jim called, "Both of us are out of the kill zone. You are clear, repeat."

"Spock, you're clear to neutralize the volcano," Emily called through the com.

"So, hurry it up, let's get out of here!" Jim added.

"We have to do this now! I told the Captain the shuttle wasn't built for this kind of heat," Sulu grumbled to them.

Emily had to rub the temple of her forehead as she tried to ignore the pressing headache that followed, though she understood Sulu's worry. Despite the valid arguments she'd made with Spock, she and Scotty had worked their best to accommodate the shuttle to the volcano's heat with the little time they had. She knew in the end that it wouldn't likely be enough. A combination of the volcanic ash and heat was running havoc with the shuttle, and they only had a short window of opportunity to pull off their stunt.

"Captain, did the indigenous life form see you?" Spock asked.

"No, Mr. Spock, they did not!" Kirk shouted back.

 _And, he's lying_ , Emily thought, rubbing her temple as she realized the indigenous people were probably chasing him for that reason. She should have known that Jim would let them get caught by the locals. The only thing she could hope for was that they wouldn't get caught in the end.

"The Prime Directive clearly states there can be no interference with the internal development of alien civilization!" Spock reminded him, reciting a classic rule that was pretty much engraved in everyone's memory the moment they enlisted in Starfleet.

"I know what it says," Jim retorted, sounding as if he was struggling to shout and run at the same time, "which is why I'm running through the jungle wearing a disguise! Now, drop the super ice cube and let's go! Kirk out!"

Emily sank back into the chair, letting out a sigh as she heard Leonard shouting about the people trying to kill them. Somehow, she wasn't surprised with that. Wouldn't be the first time Jim had almost gotten himself killed, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. She looked up when a beep sounded, indicating that Spock had been deployed. But, it was only seconds later when an alarm went off.

"Sulu, what's happening?" she asked after realizing something had gone wrong with the second away team.

"I can't hold this position," Sulu strained to speak, the whole bridge could hear him struggle to get the shuttle going.

"Retract Spock, and abort mission," Emily sighed, knowing that the volcanic ash and heat had probably done something with the engines to make them malfunction.

"Negative, this is our only chance to save this species. If this volcano erupts, the planet dies," Spock argued.

"Pull him back up. Now!" Sulu shouted, most likely to Uhura.

 _Spock, would it kill you to listen to me, just this once_? Emily thought with a roll of her eyes. She was getting tired of dealing with Spock's lack of trust in her. The only reason he didn't trust her in the first place was because she wasn't from their world. He never did get over the fact that she had been taken from one world, and placed on another.

Time seemed to slow down when the blinking light representing Spock suddenly seemed to slide all the way down the screen, disappearing for just a moment before reappearing seconds later.

"Spock, are you okay?" Uhura asked the question that was on everyone's mind.

"I am, surprisingly, okay," Spock replied, "Standby."

"Dammit, Spock, do not standby!" Emily retorted. "Uhura, see if you can deploy a second retraction line and pull him up."

"We have to abandon the shuttle," Sulu argued.

"We can't just leave him, Sulu!" Uhura shouted back.

"We don't have a choice," Sulu retorted. "Uhura, I'm sorry. The engines can't take this much heat or volcanic ash."

"Alright, report back to the Enterprise, then," Emily sighed as she realized the logic in Sulu's statement. "Uhura, we'll find a way to get him out of there," she added, knowing Uhura wasn't going to be pleased with this. Though, she had no idea just how they planned on getting Spock out of that volcano without the natives seeing the ship. "Jim, did you catch that?" she added.

"Captain, I'm ditching the shuttle. You gotta make it to the Enterprise on your own," Sulu repeated his last statement in case the Captain hadn't heard.

"Wonderful," Jim grumbled.

"Jim, Leonard, get to the beach," she put in.

"Negative," Spock's voice cut in as he already guessed what she was thinking, again, "The native species must not see the Starship. It is against prime directive."

"Yeah, I've got another idea," Jim replied.

"Kirk, the beach is that way!" Leonard's shout made Emily frown as she realized Jim had suddenly changed directions, the blinking dots moving further away from the beach where they would have met with the Enterprise crew.

"I know; we're not going to the beach!"

Apparently, whatever Jim was planning, Leonard seemed to catch on within seconds.

"Oh, no, no! I hate this!"

"I know you do!" Seconds later, a splash sounded before their coms went off.

They'd arrived at the Enterprise minutes after Uhura's team, and were already on their way to the bridge.

"Keptain on the bridge!" Chekov announced the moment a soaked Kirk and Leonard arrived.

Emily let out a sigh of relief once she realized they were safe. She had no doubt that Jim was in for an earful once they recovered from this mission. Leonard wasn't a fan of being dragged into suicide missions to begin with. When things usually ended in disaster, it took him a few days to recover from the incident and actually speak to Jim in a somewhat pleasant tone.

"Lieutenant, do you have an open channel to Mr. Spock?" Jim asked the moment they had arrived.

"The heat's frying his coms but we still have contact," Uhura replied.

"Spock!" Jim shouted out to the com.

"I have activated the device, Captain," Spock replied. "When the countdown is complete, the reaction should render the volcano inert."

"Yeah, and that's gonna render him inert," Leonard pointed out.

"Can we at least use the transporters?" Kirk asked.

"Negative, sir."

"Not vith these magnetic fields," Chekov put in.

"We need to beam Spock back onto the ship," Jim said, turning to Emily. "Any ideas?"

"We'd have to be right over the volcano in order for it to work," she reminded him, frowning as she realized that would go against every primary directive.

"No way, man! You're talking about an active volcano," Scotty protested, "Sir, if that thing erupts I cannot guarantee we can withstand the heat."

"I don't know that we could maintain that kind of altitude," Sulu added, frowning at what had happened to the shuttle, and that was with the minor repairs she and Scotty made.

"Captain. Our shuttle was concealed by the ash cloud but the Enterprise is too large," Spock informed them, "If you utilize a rescue effort, it will be revealed to the indigenous species."

"Spock, it isn't going to kill you just once to break the rules," Emily rolled her eyes, "Following the rules _will_ get you killed."

"Em's right, Spock. There's got to be an exception," Kirk nodded in agreement.

"None. Such action violates primary directive."

"Shut up, Spock! We're trying to save you, dammit!" Leonard shot back.

"Doctor, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few," Spock replied, his voice steady as ever. Leonard only rolled his eyes at that.

"Spock, we're talking about your life!"

"The rule cannot be broken under any circumsta—"

"Spock!" Emily pinched the bridge of her nose as Uhura looked terrified, knowing that anything could happen to him while the coms were out. "Try to get him back online."

"Ninety seconds until detonation," Chekov reported.

Jim let out a sigh of frustration and ran a hand through his hair. If there was one thing Emily had learned about Spock over the last few months, it was the fact that he loved following the rules. So much so, that he was willing to risk his life for them.

"If Spock were here and I were there, what would he do?" Jim asked, glancing at Emily and Leonard.

"He'd let you die," Leonard replied without hesitating.

Emily nodded in agreement, having no doubts that was true. Spock was always bound by the rules. It was the one thing that he held himself to since the Enterprise began her missions. She wouldn't be surprised if Spock took whatever plans Jim had seriously.

It didn't take long for Jim to disobey Spock's urgency to follow the rules, again. For that reason though, Emily found herself wincing as the Enterprise emerged from the water, revealing the shocked faces of an indigenous people standing over a cliff as the ship began to soar above them. Jim had been given full pardon for hacking into the Kobyoshi Maru, but that did he could take risks like this again. He was still on a tight-rope, considering how many rules he'd broken in the past, with the Council.

"Locking onto Commander Spock," Chekov reported.

Once they'd locked onto Spock, Jim ran out of the bridge with Leonard and Emily following, headed straight for the transport room. Emily breathed out a sigh of relief when Spock appeared on the transport pad seconds later, his arms stretched wide, his eyes wide, looking as if he was ready to accept death, yet shocked to find that he was still alive.

"Spock! Are you alright?" Jim asked once it dawned on the Vulcan what had happened.

"Captain, you let them see our ship."

"He's fine," Leonard scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"Bridge to Captain Kirk," Uhura's voice sounded over the com.

"Yes, Lieutenant?" Jim asked, looking slightly annoyed and amused at the tone of her voice.

"Is Commander Spock on board, sir?"

"Yeah, safe and sound."

Well, he was safe, at least. Sound, was a whole different story. Something told her that this wasn't going to sit well for anyone involved. She couldn't help but frown as she realized that Spock would likely file a report on them, even if they had violated the regulations to save his life.

"Please notify him that the device has successfully detonated."

"Did you hear that? Congratulations, Spock. You just saved the world."

 _Of course he wouldn't feel happy_ , Emily thought with a roll of her eyes as he pointed out once again that they had violated the primary directive.

"Ah, come on, Spock, so they saw us," Jim brushed it off as if it was nothing, "Big deal."

"Get washed up," she muttered once Spock had left the transport room. "No offense, but you smell like an open fish market."

"Gee, I wonder why?" Leonard shot Jim an accusing glare before the two of them headed out.

* * *

 **AN: So, there's the beginning of the next chapter, and second movie. I really wasn't sure whether I should post this as a separate story, but I think the next movie, Beyond, will become the sequel. Ordinary Human is already the title for it (Because I've been fangirling over OneRepublic for God only knows how long XD), and I'm looking forward to seeing how readers react to that :) Thanks to TheSlayerofGallifrey and Love . Fanfiction . 2016 (Sorry, I have to space it out, or they cancel the name out :()**

 **TheSlayerofGallifrey - Thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! As for how her roommate's acting, yeah, it might be a bit of an overreaction, though she is sleeping with another man, who also happens to be slightly older than her, so you can imagine where that reaction comes from ;)**


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty Five**

"You know, it's been a while since we've had a quiet, romantic evening," Leonard admitted as Emily pressed close to him, arms wrapped around his neck as she smiled back coyly.

After returning from their mission to Nibiru, it was nice to get a break and relax for the evening. Just having a quiet evening to themselves was nice. Especially given their hectic work schedules with Starfleet, and Leonard's shifts at the medical center. She had to admit, just spending the evening together was more than what she could have asked for. The missions they went on aboard the Enterprise had been growing more hectic with each passing week. She knew it was only a matter of time before the stress of their missions began getting the better of them.

"What makes tonight any different from all the other nights?" she asked teasingly, having already guessed what was on his mind.

She had quickly learned that Leonard's idea of a romantic, quiet evening involved old-fashioned romance. From a candlelit dinner, to just about everything else in the book. She wouldn't openly admit that she actually loved it, and she found the whole thing nostalgic. There weren't many men who were capable of pulling that off. To make matters better, they had the evening to themselves without worrying about Jim or the others interfering.

"Well, for one thing, there's no Kirk to interrupt us," he began, and Emily grimaced as she recalled one of their less than stellar evenings. Kirk had stumbled in on them one night, and it had been one of their more embarrassing moments. Embarrassing for Kirk, at least, because they hadn't even reached the bed at that point, and for them, because the look on his face said it all. "For another, I have you."

Emily felt her heart flutter at that; a rush of joy and sheer happiness swept through her as his lips met hers. Leonard had never openly admitted that he loved her out loud. But, she could see it in his eyes. She loved him, and nothing could keep them apart.

Neither of them had discussed what would happen if their relationship was reported. While Spock was fully aware of their relationship, he'd so far made no move to report them. Emily wasn't sure whether or not that was because Uhura had stopped him thus far, using the same excuse that they would have been reported had they been caught, but she knew it was only a matter of time before he pulled off that move. That was why Emily had learned to appreciate what she had. She knew that in the blink of an eye, it could all change.

By the time morning arrived, Emily wasn't in any hurry to get up. She'd buried her face into his arm, using it as a pillow while hearing the com go off more than once. The warmth of his presence next to her was enough to make her wish that the com never went off. He finally let out another groan after hearing the com go off for the umpteenth time, until she was forced to answer it. She was half-tempted to throw the com out the window when she read the message.

"What do they want?" Leonard asked, his voice muffled as his face was buried in a pillow.

"For me to meet at headquarters with Spock and the Captain," she explained after letting out a sigh of frustration. "It seems as if Admiral Pike wanted to speak with us about our last mission."

That was enough for Leonard to lift his head and look at her in concern. The mission in Nibiru hadn't exactly ended in disaster. While it was primarily meant to be an exploration mission, they had saved an entire race. Though, that in itself had required breaking primary directive, which she _knew_ Spock would relentlessly report them on. Unease swept through her as she thought of how Spock would find some way of including those who were involved with the mission on said report.

"That's not going to end well," Leonard guessed after figuring out what was on her mind.

"Leonard, go back to sleep," she told him, knowing that for Leonard, sleeping in was like a gift in itself.

He looked like he was going to argue when he thought better of it. Once Emily had gotten out of bed and changed into her uniform, she left the apartment and reached the lobby, where Jim was waiting.

Since they graduated from the Academy, everyone had gotten apartments close to one another. Jim found one just a couple of rooms away from where Emily and Leonard were currently staying. And there were times when she did truly appreciate having Jim as a neighbor. Though, that didn't mean it also had its drawbacks.

She merely rose an eyebrow after noticing the incredulous look Jim was giving her. Though he knew that they had been seeing each other for nearly three years, that didn't stop him from treating the whole situation immaturely.

"You and Bones sleep well?" he asked with a sly grin.

"I'm not justifying that with an answer," she rolled her eyes before slugging him in the arm after he'd laughed.

…

"I'm telling you, this is why he called," Jim explained as they reached the stairs leading to the Headquarters where Pike had been stationed after he was relieved of his duties as Captain of the USS Enterprise. "I can feel it!"

"Jim, whatever your excitement is about, I doubt it has to do with that," Emily pointed out.

She recalled how shocked Spock had been when Jim sent the Enterprise to rescue him. She highly suspected this had something to do with that, and that Spock had filed a report. Now, her mind was already spinning with ideas of how to explain why they did what they did to Admiral Pike without making things any worse. While he would understand what they did, he still had to take the fact that Jim broke the regulations seriously.

"Your feelings aside, I consider it highly unlikely that we will be selected for the new program," Spock agreed with her, for once.

"Why else would Pike want to see us?" Jim asked after rolling his eyes at their lack of enthusiasm, "Forget about seniority, they gave us the newest ship in the fleet. Who else are they gonna send out?"

"I can think of numerous possibilities," Spock replied.

"I can list them all, if you'd like," Emily added with a knowing smirk.

"Come on, a five-year mission, Spock! That's deep space, that's uncharted territories! Think how incredible that's gonna be."

Emily only rolled her eyes at that, knowing full well that some people wouldn't be too thrilled with the idea. She flicked him across the ear when he flirted with the two young Cadets who walked past them, rolling their eyes when Jim had scoffed at her. Some things never changed. Jim's behavior towards women was one of them. Which was why Emily would constantly flick him across the ear when he tried flirting in front of her. Between that and the way he handled her relationship with Leonard, it was almost impossible to take Jim seriously at times.

Once they had reached Pike's office, though, Jim's enthusiasm was short-lived. Emily frowned as she caught the look in Pike's eyes as he stared at what appeared to be reports. She had known that Spock would file a report. Of course, he would; he was a walking rule-book with little-to-know idea that rules were made to be mended.

"Uneventful," Pike began in an icy tone.

"Admiral?" Jim frowned after realizing this wasn't what he thought it would be.

"That's the way you describe the survey in Nibiru in your Captain's Log," Pike explained, looking up at him.

"Ah, yes, sir. I didn't wanna waste your time going over the details," Jim replied, looking slightly uncomfortable at being put on the spotlight, again.

"Yeah. Tell me more about this volcano," Pike went on, clearly wanting more than just an excuse from Jim. Emily frowned as she wondered why Pike had included her in this meeting, considering she had nothing to do with the Captain's 'reckless' decisions… well, _almost_ nothing. "Data says it was highly volatile, if it were to erupt, it would wipe out the planet."

"Well, let's hope it doesn't, sir."

"Something tells me it won't."

Pike frowned as he leaned forward and eyed Jim with the classic, 'I know you did something wrong', look. Emily grimaced as she realized all-too-soon that Spock had filed a report. She should have known that he would do something like that after they managed to rescue him from a volcano.

"I think the data might have been off, sir," Emily tried putting in helpfully. "Anything that volatile can die down at times, and it didn't look like it was going to erupt."

"Or maybe it didn't erupt, because Mr. Spock detonated a cold fusion device inside it, that _you_ designed," Pike snapped, turning his gaze to Emily before looking back at Jim, "right after a civilization that's barely invented the wheel, happens to see a Starship rising out of their ocean!" He paused, and Emily found herself flinching at the tone in his voice, "That is pretty much how you describe it, is it not?"

"Admiral—"

"You filed a report?" Jim glared at Spock accusingly.

"That surprises you?" Emily retorted with a roll of her eyes.

She really wasn't all that surprised he had filed a report. In fact, she'd been anticipating it. She just wished that Spock hadn't included her in the report, because, Pike's eyes were narrowed at both her and Jim. Pike was not the type of man she would want to piss off. His calm, cool demeanor was just a ploy. She knew when he was disappointed in someone; the steely look in his gray eyes made it obvious as he looked between all three of them.

"I incorrectly assumed that you would be truthful in your Captain's Log," Spock defended himself.

"Yeah, I would have been if I didn't have to save your life," Jim scoffed.

"A fact for which I am immeasurably grateful and the very reason I felt it necessary to take responsibility for the actions taken by—"

"Spock, just stop. Please," Emily sighed with a shake of her head.

Between Spock constantly contradicting her decisions, and everything else, she was really getting tired of the arguments that went on between the two. She knew Jim would try and argue with whatever reasoning Spock used for filing his report. The worst part was, Spock didn't even seem to understand why they rescued him in the first place. Leaving him behind when they had the resources to rescue him had been out of the question.

"Responsibility?" Jim scoffed once again, "Yeah. That'd be so noble, Pointy, if you weren't also throwing me under the bus."

"Pointy?" Spock frowned, clueless to the fact that Jim was referring to his ears, "Is that a derogative reference?"

"Gentleman," Pike began, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration when he caught the look in Emily's eyes. "Are they always like this?"

"Worse," she muttered.

She'd gotten used to the banter that constantly went on between them, but it had also given her some major headaches. It only got worse when Leonard was involved with their arguments. He hated Spock's need to point out the logical side of things. It often got the point where Emily just left the bridge or medbay to avoid being dragged into it, which she usually was when Leonard got involved. While she tried making peace between all three of them, it was obvious that the need to prove themselves would get the better of them.

"Starfleet's mandate is to explore and observe, not to interfere," he continued after shaking his head, knowing that she had to have remarkable patience for dealing with the two of them.

"Had the mission gone according to plan, Admiral, the indigenous species would never have been aware of our interference," Spock quipped.

"Had you _listened_ to our advice, we wouldn't have had to rescue you in the first place," Emily cut in, narrowing her eyes.

"That's a technicality," Pike pointed out.

"I am Vulcan, sir. We embrace technicality," Spock remarked, at least having the decency to defend her explanation.

"You giving me attitude, Spock?" Pike rose an eyebrow.

"I'm expressing multiple attitudes simultaneously, sir. To which are you referring?"

"Out," he pointed to the door, "You're dismissed." He waited until the Vulcan had left, hesitating for a few moments before leaving, shutting the door behind him. "Do you have any idea what a pain in the ass you are?" he added, looking at Jim pointedly.

"I think so, sir," Jim replied, still trying to keep a straight face after that argument.

"At any rate, I am proud of you two." Both Emily and Jim stiffened in surprise at that. "Using the cooling device to render the volcano… that was clever."

"A trick I learned from a movie," she explained with a shrug.

Okay, that wasn't entirely true. It was actually thanks to the help of Scotty that they had finished the device before the volcano erupted. And neither of them would have really thought it up had they not gone on a mad-science banter. Scotty always seemed to have an appreciation for them, especially after having a few drinks at the local bar where they discussed how the device would work.

"And, if you're going to blame anyone for this, it's my fault," Jim added. "Emily had nothing to do with this."

"Nope. According to the report, you and Hayes had a say in the matter," Pike shook his head. "So, tell me what you did wrong? What's the lesson to be learned here?" he asked, hoping that Kirk would at least answer him honestly.

"Never trust a Vulcan," Jim muttered.

Emily nearly smirked in amusement as she realized just how true that was. As much as she hated to admit it, Emily still couldn't bring herself to trust Spock. His threat towards the fact that she wasn't from this world had only added to the list of reasons she had not to trust him entirely.

"Oh, see. You can't even answer the question," Pike snapped, "You lied! On an official report, you lied. You think the rules don't apply to you cause you disagree with them."

"That's why you talked me into signing up in the first place, that's why you gave me your ship," Kirk retorted

Emily suddenly found herself wishing that a hole would open up and swallow her. She was beginning to regret answering her com this morning. At least at that point in the day, she had been happily sleeping and wrapped up in the idea of how much spending the evening with Leonard meant to her.

"I gave you my ship because I saw greatness in you. And now I see you haven't got an ounce of humility."

"Sir, what were we supposed to do, let Spock die?" Emily deadpanned, knowing she would probably regret asking the question as Pike narrowed his eyes at her.

"You're missing the point," he retorted.

"I don't think we are, sir! What _would_ you have done?" Jim snapped.

"I wouldn't have risked my first officer's life in the first place. You were supposed to survey a planet, not alter its destiny!" Emily couldn't help but flinch at that. She wouldn't have let all those people die, like the victims of the attack on Vulcan. Pike must have known that, too. "You violated a dozen Starfleet regulations and almost got everyone under your command killed."

"Except I didn't! You know how many crew I've lost since I took captainship?"

"That's your problem!"

"Not one!"

"You think you're infallible! You think you can't make a mistake, it's a pattern with you! The rules are for other people."

"Some should be," Kirk muttered under his breath.

 _You're crossing the line_ , Emily thought as she closed her eyes, willing for Jim to at least realize that Pike made _some_ sense. She hated admitting that Pike did have a valid point. And Jim's need to prove himself was going to get him into serious trouble. While she sided with him in rescuing Spock and saving the people of Nibiru, she did oppose the idea of arguing with Pike.

"And what's worse is you're using blind luck to justify you're playing God!" Pike shook his head and leaned against the back of his chair. "I am proud of the both of you. You've surpassed my expectations at the Academy, in more ways than one. But, given the circumstances, this has been brought to Admiral Marcus' attention. He convened a special tribunal to which I was not invited. You understand what Starfleet regulations mandate be done at this point?"

Emily frowned at that, already having an idea of where Pike was getting at. A special tribunal arranged by Marcus most likely meant that they were being reassigned ships, as well as sent to the Academy. That was the worst likely scenario running through her mind.

"They've taken the Enterprise away from you. They're sending you back to the Academy," Pike finished as if he'd read her thoughts.

"Admiral, listen—"

"No," Pike snapped. "I'm not listening. Why should I listen?" he asked as Kirk continued helplessly defending himself, "You don't listen to anybody but yourself!"

"I understand the regulation, but every decision I've made is my own, don't blame Emily or anyone else."

Emily glanced at Kirk in surprise as she realized he was defending _her_ as well. He knew what losing the Enterprise crew would mean, not only for himself, but for her as well. A lump formed in the back of her throat when she thought of how her life would change if she was reassigned to another ship.

"I can't listen. you don't comply with the rules, you don't take responsibility for anything, and you don't respect the chair. You know why? Because you're not ready for it," Pike told him.

Jim let out a breath at that, looking as if he'd been punched in the gut. Emily held back a sigh as he turned and left. Losing the Enterprise… it pretty much was like a punch in the gut. She hadn't thought of the consequences up until that point. Then again, she knew that violating the regulations had serious consequences. Jim not only violated the regulations by revealing the Enterprise to those aliens, but he also lied on a report.

 _He could be kicked out of the Fleet for pulling that off_ , she realized.

"Sir," she began once Jim was gone. "I know that he can be an ass at times, but I really couldn't ask for a better Captain."

And that much was true. Jim had proven himself more times over than she cared to count. After everything that had happened, she had hoped that Spock would at least see that much. They'd begun working together over the last year on the same ship, and while there was always tension between them, he had to have known that Jim would do anything to keep his friends safe and alive.

"I understand that, and I believe it," he sighed after pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. "He needs to learn responsibility before he can assume the role of Captain. The lives of the crew are too important to take that risk." Emily bit back a retort as she realized he had a point. Yes, Jim was reckless and made rash decisions. And yet, he still had the qualities that could put other Captains to shame. But Pike was right about him needing to learn when he could or couldn't violate the rules, and push his luck. "There is also another matter I'd rather not bring up, though it has come to the Council's attention on Commander Spock's report."

The face that he made said it all.

"And what report would that be?" she asked, her tone suddenly icy. Admiral Pike didn't miss that.

"On your relationship status with the Chief Medical Officer," he replied without missing a beat. Emily tensed at that, wishing she could rip the bangs off of Spock's head when she realized what he'd done. Even Pike sounded embarrassed with what had to be said and done about it. "As it stands, it goes against regulations for senior staff to have any relationships with anyone on the same ship."

 _Damn pointy-eared bastard_ , she cursed Spock silently. Of course, Spock would find a reason to involve her in this mess. Her fists clenched at the thought of how she would explain what happened to Leonard. He was going to throttle Spock for reporting their relationship, and worst still, she wouldn't have tried stopping him from doing so.

"I understand that, sir," she replied, trying to keep her voice from sounding angrier than she felt.

"As such, you've been reassigned to the USS Explorer," Pike sighed once again. "I know the Enterprise crew has become like family, which makes the change that much more difficult. I am, also aware of how difficult this will be for the two of you."

"They're the _only_ family I know, sir," she reminded him, blatantly pointing out the fact that she wasn't even from this world.

When Pike finally looked at her, she could see understanding within his eyes. He knew full well what that was like, and he knew how painful it would feel to leave them. The fact that she had willingly defended Jim's decision and would do so again took him by surprise. More amazing still was how she managed to adapt to this world with little to no knowledge of it. Befriending a couple of Starfleet outcasts had been one of the best decisions she could have made.

"You woke up without any knowledge to this world…" He paused, and Emily could almost feel his gaze boring into her. "Yet, somehow, you managed to win the heart of an entire crew. Not too many people can admit that."

"Sir, I don't believe I ever had the chance to properly thank you," she suddenly put in after thinking it through. "For giving me a chance, and for believing me. I honestly don't think I would have gotten this far if you hadn't convinced me to join Starfleet."

Admiral Pike blinked in surprise at that. This woman was really a strange one. From the moment he first saw her, he knew that she had a story to tell. Not being from this world might have been a stretch, but she had little to no idea what he was talking about when they first met. She had been torn away from her world, and survived. For that much, she'd made a fine member of Starfleet.

"You are dismissed, Liaison Hayes," he sighed, rubbing his temple as she stood up and did left.

Emily let out a sigh of her own as soon as she was outside the office. Jim was already long-gone, most likely headed straight for the bar to drink away his troubles. She really wasn't sure what would happen now. Everything had gone from bad to worse at that moment, and something told her that things weren't going to get much better.

* * *

 **AN: Thank you Love. Fiction. 2016 for being my most frequent reviewer! I'm glad other people are enjoying this story so far :)**


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty Six**

" _I never wanted you to see The darkest part of me, I knew you'd run away I waited but you never came, So afraid to be alone I tried to let you go, Still I find you lost inside the darkest part of me..._ " - The Darkest Part, Red

* * *

Part of her wasn't surprised that she had been reassigned to a different ship. She should have seen it coming. She _had_ seen it coming. The regulations had only been added recently after the attack on the USS Kelvin, of relationships between crew members or any family for that matter. It stated that anyone who was in a relationship had to be assigned to a different ship, otherwise it could lead to distractions. The good news was; she was able to keep her status as a Liaison while aboard the USS Explorer. The bad news was, it meant she would be on a new ship, with people she wasn't familiar with. It also meant that she would have to learn her way around all over again.

 _Because getting lost on the Enterprise wasn't embarrassing enough_ , she thought with a roll of her eyes. Chekov had been kind enough to show her the way, though, once the attack on Vulcan was over. She appreciated his help, especially since he probably busy enough as it was. Chekov was one of the few people who had understood and was more than willing to offer his assistance, especially after the way she'd stood up for him during the attack on Planet Vulcan.

The worst part of it was knowing what would happen if anyone else figured out where she was from. A shiver of unease swept through her at the thought. She could already imagine the dozens of questions that would rise upon discovering where she was from, and _when_ she was from. She had already prepared a laundry list of excuses as to what had led her to this world, but something in the back of her mind kept telling her that wouldn't work so well.

She wasn't in any hurry to go back to the apartment. Not after the meeting gone wrong. She really wasn't in any hurry to tell Leonard what had happened, either. The truth of it was, he would more than likely use it as an excuse to hunt down Spock and wring his neck. She wasn't in the mood for that crap, especially after what Pike told her. The only other person she knew would be out this late at night, and drinking away the punishment, would likely be at the bar. Sure enough, as she reached the bar where they usually hung out every few Friday nights, she saw a familiar figure slouching on a stool, scowling at his drink.

"Thought you'd be with Bones," he said without even looking at her as she sat beside him.

"He's working the late shift," she lied. She hadn't had the heart to go back and explain the situation. She had no doubt what his reaction would be to the news, and it would only make the whole thing that much worse. She had been hoping that talking to Jim would take her mind off of the problem at hand. Though, there weren't enough drinks in the world to get her mind off of the fact that she and Leonard would be working on different ships. "Besides, he can take care of himself. It's _you_ I'm worried about."

"What'd Pike say after I left?" Emily chewed the bottom of her lip as she recalled what Pike had told her.

"They've reassigned me," she explained. "To the USS Explorer… something about my idea having played a major part in your decision." It wasn't technically a lie. Spock had filed the report on both the incident with Nibiru, and her relationship with Leonard. Though, the thought made her realize just how ignorant Spock really was about the whole thing. Considering his status with Uhura, she wondered if he had any idea what he'd gotten himself into. Jim's eyes widened in disbelief as he realized what she was implying. The only reason she had been involved in the first place was because he dragged her into their crazy idea. "At any rate, Pike reassigned you as his First Officer."

"And he thought it would be a good idea to reassign you to a different ship?" Jim demanded. "Everyone played a role in that choice. Is he even aware of how crazy you and Bones get when you're apart?"

Emily grimaced at that, knowing he had a point there. The last time they had been separated for any period of time was when Kayla and Jim had locked them in a closet, and that was after either of them had lost their temper. The shouting match that followed had left even Jim impressed that anyone could stand against Leonard when it came to his temper. Needless to say, it was a hard-learned lesson on Kayla's part.

They had since-then learned to simmer down their tempers when apart for long periods of time. Working on a Starship meant that their schedules were constantly changing and shifting depending on what missions they went on. She knew that they could go for a couple of days without seeing each other if Leonard was planet-side during one of said missions, and vise-versa.

"True, but Spock and I played a major role in it," she reminded him with a sigh, though that wasn't the _real_ reason behind her reassignment. She was reluctant to admit the truth behind the Council's decision to reassign her. If she told the truth, Jim would either have a heyday, or he would find some reason of getting back at Spock for his report. "I helped design that explosive, and Spock was the one who took it to the volcano."

"Pointy-eared bastard," Jim muttered under his breath, and Emily almost smirked in agreement at that.

"Look, we all knew what we were getting ourselves into," she said thoughtfully. "And like it or not, the rewards outweighed the risks."

Jim threw her a look before swallowing the last of his drink. They'd spent a lot of nights like these at the bar. Sometimes, the silence was almost as welcoming as a normal conversation. After a day like today, such a night was far more welcoming than Emily would have liked to admit out loud. As such, they sat there in silence until Emily spotted someone familiar approaching them out of the corner of her eye. She rose an eyebrow in surprise as Pike stepped forward and sat on Jim's other side.

"How'd you find me?" he groaned with a roll of his eyes.

"I know you better than you think I do," Pike retorted. "The first time I found you, it was in a dive like this. Remember that? You got your ass handed to you."

"No, I didn't."

Emily almost smirked at the thought as she remembered the way he looked after first stepping into the shuttle. He had looked like a wreck at the time. With a black eye, scabbed lips and what looked like a bruised ego, she knew he'd been trying to hide his injuries from both of them. Of course, at the time, she had been too busy realizing he was _real_ at the moment to think it through, and recovering from her own initial shock that she was in an actual shuttle.

"You don't?" Pike rose an eyebrow in amusement.

"No, that's not what happened," he shook his head.

Though it was plainly obvious to see he didn't want her hearing of this 'wonderful' tale of that incident. Emily was struggling not to smirk when she recalled Uhura mentioning the bar fight when they were on the shuttle. That must have been what Pike was talking about.

"That was an epic beating," Pike reminded him. "Almost as epic as the one she gave you that one morning. You remember that shiner you had?"

"No, it wasn't," Jim retorted, and by now, Emily was struggling not to laugh at the glare he threw her.

She remembered that morning all too well. Jim had been particularly persistent that morning, and she hadn't exactly been in the best moods at the time. Even Leonard had laughed at the fact that not only was Jim turned down, but he was knocked down a peg or two.

"You had napkins hanging out of your nose. Did you not?"

And, ironically enough, she could picture that. Jim only chuckled at that, and shook his head.

"Yeah, that was a good fight," Jim sighed.

"A good fight? I think that's your problem right there." He paused as Jim looked at him. "I'm sure Emily's already told you the news," he added.

Jim swallowed at that, and Emily bit the bottom of her lip once again as she thought of everything they had been through over the last few months on the Enterprise. She knew how important it was for him. How much he'd worked for to Captain the Enterprise, only for the position to be ripped out of his hands.

"Congratulations," he said, "Watch your back with that First Officer, though." Emily frowned as she caught the look in Pike's eyes.

"Spock's not gonna be working with me, he's been transferred. USS Bradbury," Pike explained.

"Look, I get why Spock was transferred, but why transfer Emily?" Jim suddenly asked after rolling his eyes.

"You didn't tell him?"

Pike rose an eyebrow in surprise, and Emily held back a groan as Jim looked at her curiously. As to what the real reason behind her transfer was, she really didn't want to admit it. Especially given how Jim had handled the situation already. Her mind was currently running a mile a minute while she tried thinking of excuses to refuse an explanation. But she knew that Jim would find out eventually, and he would likely tell Leonard as a result of finding out.

"Apparently, being in a relationship with the Chief Medical Officer on the same ship is somehow against regulations," she muttered crossly. Jim almost burst out laughing at that, until he realized she was being serious. His eyes just widened in disbelief when he realized the real reason why she was so reluctant to admit the truth. "Pointy-eared bastard filed a report," she added, her eyes narrowing dangerously at the thought of Spock.

Jim's face fell as realization dawned on him. He knew how close Emily and Leonard were. And to hear Spock file a report on their relationship just made things ten times worse. Jim was about to say something when their coms went off.

"An emergency session at Daystrom. That's us." Pike looked at the two of them. "Suit up."

…

The two of them were already making their way through Daystrom an hour later, both of them having changed in their uniforms. She was thankful Leonard had been away at the time; the last thing she wanted was to explain why she had been called off to that meeting to represent the Explorer. According to the message she was sent, the Captain of the Explorer wanted her as their Liaison to represent their ship. Emily cursed under her breath as she spotted Spock approaching them.

"Captain," Spock greeted them without missing a beat.

"Not anymore, Spock," Jim corrected him with a sigh of frustration. "First Officer. I was demoted, you and Emily were reassigned."

Emily narrowed her eyes at Spock, who clearly wasn't aware of the reason behind her anger. What bothered Emily more than anything was the fact that Spock and Uhura were in an open relationship, and he'd filed no reports on _that_. She knew it was selfish and petty, thinking over the many reasons behind her frustration. But after everything they went through, she would have thought for sure that Spock of all people wouldn't want to file a report on them. She should have known better than to trust him, especially given the circumstances.

"It is fortunate that the consequences were not more severe," Spock remarked.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Jim muttered with a roll of his eyes.

"Consider yourself thankful that I haven't ripped those ears off of you," she snapped under her breath. "I'm still pissed off enough that I might just go through with it."

"And doing so would only lead to a court martial," Spock reminded her without missing a beat. Emily bit back the urge to spit something worse at his face as she realized what he was insinuating. "I would not advise—"

"Spock, don't," Jim cut him off before he could make things any worse.

Her anger was only intensifying as she caught the look written across Spock's face. Her fists clenched with frustration, and it took everything she had not to fire back something that she would regret. She knew that if she said the wrong thing, it would just lead to worse consequences. As much as she resented Spock for filing that report, he did bring up a valid point. It was better to keep her mouth shut instead of arguing any further.

"Captain, it was never my intention to—"

"I'm not Captain," Jim cut him off. "I saved your life, Spock. You wrote a report, I lost my ship, and my friend got reassigned. How do you think Bones is gonna feel when he finds out?"

Emily swallowed hard at that. She really wasn't sure what she would tell Leonard once this meeting was over.

"Commander," Spock corrected himself, "I see now I should have alerted you to the fact that I submitted the report."

"Spock, did it ever occur to you that everyone else wasn't too concerned about filing a report?" Emily finally asked, narrowing her eyes at the Vulcan. "Rules are mended all the time, and for a good reason. Imagine what Uhura is going to say when she realizes you'll be gone?"

"I am aware of your relationship with Doctor McCoy, as well as my relationship with Nyota," Spock argued without missing a beat, "As you are not from our world, I could only assume it is against regulations."

"Piss-ass," Emily swore under her breath, narrowing her eyes as Spock lifted an eyebrow quizzically, "You're just using this as a damned excuse, and you know it."

The Vulcan simply eyed the woman curiously, clearly aware of her own infamous anger. She was more than pissed off with him. Not only was he using this as an excuse, but, he didn't seem to think anything of it when he filed that report. It was just another reason why she and Leonard had tried keeping it a secret from the rest of the crew.

"The fact that you are using language tells me that you are defense, and therefore find my statement valid—"

"Spock," Jim threw him a warning look as Emily's eyes narrowed with fury. She was more than willing to continue the argument and pick at his flaws; even he wasn't perfect, whether he was willing to admit it out loud or not, "Look, we're all familiar with your compulsion to follow the rules," Jim muttered with another roll of his eyes, "but you see, I can't do that. Where we come from, if someone saves your life you don't stab him in the back."

"Vulcans cannot lie."

"Then I'm talking to the half-human part of you, alright? Do you understand why I went back for you?"

"Commander Spock? Frank Abbott, USS Bradbury," a black man interrupted them before Spock could explain himself. "Guess you're with me."

"Yes, Captain," Spock nodded, though Emily could see some hesitance before he'd answered. Jim just shook his head as Spock followed the Captain into the room.

Once everyone had taken their places, with Emily standing next to the Captain of the USS Explorer, she realized just how difficult this was going to be. She didn't know much about the Captain, but she could see from his stern expression that nothing good would come out of this. She swallowed nervously as Admiral Marcus arrived.

She had met Admiral Marcus upon her arrival to the Academy. Marcus was more than pleased to accept her into the Academy when he bought her story about this being an alternate universe, that she was from another world. At the time, she hadn't thought much of it, but now, she felt intimidated around his presence. Jim, who stood beside Admiral Pike, gave her a reassuring nod that everything would work out in the end.

"Thank you for meeting on such short notice," Admiral Marcus began addressing the room, "Be seated." He sat with the rest of them, Emily taking a deep breath as she took her seat. "By now some of you have heard what happened in London. The target was a Starfleet data archive, now it's a damn hole in the ground," he explained. Emily felt her blood run cold at that, knowing that London was one of the more populated cities in Europe. "Forty-two men and women are dead. One hour ago, I received a message from a Starfleet officer who confessed to carrying out this attack, that he was being forced to do it by this man."

Emily narrowed her eyes as an image of the officer behind the attack appeared on their monitors, followed by what looked like a human with black hair, blue eyes, and very pale skin. The image itself was chaotic. An explosion from the Officer responsible for said attack shook the entire city and left everyone scattering for cover. The pale-skinned man looked as if he was trying to hide in plain sight, though it didn't look as if he was on the run. And that unnerved her.

"Commander John Harrison. He's one of our own and he is the man responsible for this act of savagery. For reasons unknown, John Harrison has just declared a one man war against Starfleet and under no circumstances are we to allow this man to escape Federation space. You here tonight represent the senior command of all the vessels in the region. And in the name of those we lost, you will run this bastard down. This is a manhunt, pure and simple, so let's get to work."

Emily felt a chill sweep through her at the way he'd mentioned hunting Harrison down. That wasn't what Starfleet stood for. He was making it sound as if this was a military operation, which only made her feel uneasy.

"Earth's Perimeter sensors have not detected any warp signatures leaving the system, so we know he can't be far," Marcus went on, "You will park your ships in a blockade formation and deploy search vehicles and landing parties to run down every lead. This man has shown willingness to kill innocent people, so the rules of engagement are simple. If you come across this man, and fear for your life and the lives of those nearby, you are authorized to use deadly force on the subject."

Another shiver of unease swept through Emily at that. This was not something she had signed up for. She was fine with space exploration, but when it came to operations like these, this was not okay. Military operations had occurred on a daily basis where she was from. Starfleet was an entirely different entity from the military-based world that she had grown up with, and that was what made this feel so uneasy.

"What's in the bag?" she heard Jim whisper as images with Harrison leaving the sight, with a bag in hand, appeared on their monitors. Pike was whispering under his breath for Jim to knock it off, but that didn't seem to deter him. "It doesn't seem odd to you that he targeted an archive? It's like bombing a public library."

Emily narrowed her eyes after realizing he had a good point there. The archive was like a public library, and in a sense, it felt like mindless killing to her. Harrison had targeted the archive for a reason, and she suspected it didn't have anything to do with records.

"Chris, everything okay there?" Marcus asked, narrowing his eyes in their direction.

"Yes, sir. Mr. Kirk is just acquainting to his new position as First Officer," Pike replied.

"You got something to say, Kirk, say it. Tomorrow is too late," Marcus told him.

"I'm fine, sir," Jim replied, seeing the look Pike was giving him. "My apologies."

She caught the look Pike was giving her, as if daring her to speak out. Rolling her eyes, she leaned back, knowing full well that wasn't going to happen. As much as she would love to speak her mind, she knew it wouldn't end well. Unfortunately, Admiral Marcus was the kind of man who sought out those willing to speak against him.

"Spit it out, son. Don't be shy," he snapped.

"Why the archive?" Jim asked after seeing no way out of this, "All that information is… is public record. If he really wanted to damage Starfleet, this could just be the beginning."

"The beginning of what, Mr. Kirk?"

Emily narrowed her eyes when she realized that Marcus wasn't able to see the threat that was obviously glaring at their faces.

"Sir, Starfleet Regulations state that protocol mandates that senior commands gather, Captains and First Officers, at Starfleet Headquarters, right here in this room," Emily explained, having already guessed what was on Jim's mind as the feeling of unease returned.

She stiffened when she realized that Jim's eyes were searching for signs of a bomb. If Harrison had known about Starfleet Regulations, then she had no doubt he was aware of this meeting. More innocent lives could be taken if Marcus wasn't cautious.

"It is curious Harrison would commandeer a jump ship without warp capability…" Spock had begun to agree when something stopped him.

Her eyes widened with panic when she saw the red lights approaching the building, just as Jim had, "Clear the room!" he shouted just as she had ducked as glass shattered around the other, wincing as a piece of glass cut across her arm.

Bullets and lasers flew across the room as they were ambushed.

"We need air defense team!" she heard Pike call through the com, a handful of Captains and First Officers already lying dead around them from the attack. "Daystrom conference room!"

She took the chance and reached for the nearest phaser, firing at the ship that hovered in front of the building. Her heart was racing with dread as she realized it was a _shuttle_ of some sort, with protective glass covering the pilot. She caught sight of Jim racing for a heavy hose, smashing the glass open before wrapping it around his phaser when he rounded on the shuttle and threw the phaser into one of the thrusters, ducking just as the wall that had been torn from the hose was thrown in his direction.

"Captain Pike!" Emily felt her heart nearly skip a beat when she realized Captain Pike had been shot.

"My God," she gasped after seeing the blood spilling out of his mouth.

Spock was kneeling beside him, mind melding with him. When Jim had finally joined them, she didn't bother hiding her own grief as he wrapped his arms around her in a hug. Her heart wrenched from the shock that racked through her. Seeing his eyes glaze over with death hit her harder than she wanted to admit out loud.

She might not have known Captain Pike for long, but she had respected him from the very beginning. Because of him, she was given a second chance at life. He was the first to believe in her, when she had doubted anyone else would. And now, he was gone.

* * *

 **AN: Thanks to Love. Fiction. 2016 and thefriendyouhate for reviewing! Also, I only just realized that it's mind melding, not mind mending... so, apologies for that mistake Oo**

 **thefriendyouhate - I think that's the idea ;)**


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter Twenty Seven**

She sat in the hospital, thankful for the moment of peace, despite the chaotic scene unfolding around her. Only a few hours had passed since the attack on Daystrom. Jim had refused to stop by the hospital, even after he was ordered to stay until medical arrived. Emily… she really wasn't in any hurry to go back home just yet. Her mind was still back on the attack, and Admiral Pike's body as it was carried away.

She thought back to how shocked she had been upon waking up in this world. Admiral Pike had taken their first meeting surprisingly well, considering she'd claimed he was from a movie. Or, that she was in a movie, and this had to have been some dream. He'd done so much for her, even though they hadn't known each other for very long. And what had she done in return? Absolutely nothing. She should have been there to protect him. Or at least give some kind of warning.

Guilt stabbed at her heart when she tried picturing the look on his face after the ship went down. He'd died in the line of battle. His death should have never happened, and she often wondered if things would have been different had she taken his place. Not for the first time, she found herself wishing that she could have had more time to thank him for everything he did. To express how grateful she was that he'd pushed her into enlisting in Starfleet.

The sound of footsteps had finally broken her thoughts, and she looked up to see Leonard looking down at her. She wasn't surprised to see how exhausted he looked.

"That cut looks like it could get infected," he remarked after sitting down beside her. Emily let out a sigh and stared down at the floor. "Em…"

"You should've seen the look on his face," she whispered, her voice filled with guilt as he reached for her hand and squeezed it gently. "He shouldn't have died… none of them should have."

"I know," he sighed. It had been a long, rushed night for him as well. Despite having the day off, they had called him in after the attack on Daystrom. It wasn't until after seeing Spock that he'd learned she was there at the time of the attack as well. "Come on, let's have that cut treated."

The tone in his voice was oddly gentle, and this time, she didn't argue.

The moment they were alone was when she suddenly broke down into a sob. The only person she ever broke down in front of was Leonard. She hated allowing herself to appear vulnerable in front of anyone, but for whatever reason, Leonard never once judged her. Between losing Pike, and everything else, it was too much. Leonard wrapped his arms around her, holding her close as she buried her face into his shoulder. For someone to have gone through as much as she did, he couldn't blame her.

"I'm sorry," she sighed once she had recovered, and he'd finished making sure her injury was looked after.

"What for?" Leonard rose an eyebrow, concerned that she was blaming herself once again for this attack.

It was one of the many habits that he'd picked up on during their last three years together. And it annoyed him to no end when she blamed herself for something she had no control over. There was only so much one human could handle. Seeing her break down only served as a reminder of how little she knew of this world.

"For crying in the first place," she muttered under her breath. Leonard let out a sigh when he realized where she was going at with this. "You of all people know how much I hate crying in public."

After all, tears were just a sign of weakness. Her parents had never provided much comfort when she was upset, always claiming that she should use whatever had made her upset to give her strength. That was what she had been brought up to believe. Now, she wasn't so sure. As she thought it through, she realized how selfish and petty that sounded. To top it off, those words also sounded like an act of revenge.

"Yeah, I do know," he nearly rolled his eyes after tenderly brushing a tear from her cheek. She couldn't hide the guilty smile that followed when their eyes met. "Darlin', no one's gonna blame you for being human."

Emily only let out a sigh of relief, thankful for the comfort he provided. It wasn't just the comfort that he provided that she admired so much. His patience, compassion, and willingness to help people despite what they thought or said was enough of a reminder why she loved him so much. She couldn't imagine where she would have been at this point had they not crossed paths at the Academy.

"Jim's going to need a friend, now more than ever," she suddenly pointed out as they left for the apartment that night.

She knew that Jim in particular had seen Admiral Pike as a father-figure, and looked up to the Admiral in more ways than one. They were both going to need a good friend after all of this was over. Luckily for them, they had one. The fact that Leonard was so willing to put up with them both was something that she suddenly found herself admiring. She just wished that there was more she could do for him in return.

"Yeah, and he'll be too damn stubborn to ask for help," Leonard scoffed at that, though he knew she was right.

By the time either of them had returned to the apartment, neither really wanted to admit that they were exhausted. It wasn't until Emily had finally fallen asleep that Leonard let out a sigh and rubbed the temple of his forehead.

There were still plenty of questions that needed to be asked, such as why she had been required to join the meeting in the first place. He knew that Jim would refuse to stop by and get his physical after the attack – he would most likely have to hunt the man down and force him into one. Emily had been through more than her fair share of trauma, and it was no surprise she had post-traumatic stress because of it.

She was right about Jim, as much as he hated to admit it. The kid was prone to making stupid choices when it came to irrational thoughts. Someone would have to be there when he jumped off that bandwagon, and of course, that someone would have to be him.

…

"Em, Scotty's found something in the wreckage of Harrison's ship," Jim's voice sounded through the com later that morning when it went off and she groggily answered it, jolting her awake. "He wants us to see him right away."

She slowly sat up, realizing that Leonard must have carried her to the bed the other night. He was already gone, having left for the hospital early that morning. It wasn't until that thought registered that she remembered everything that happened. Of course, she would have broken down right then and there at the hospital. With a shake of her head, quickly got changed into her uniform and headed out to the location in question.

She wasn't surprised to find Spock already there, with Scotty standing near the wreckage from last night. Jim walked alongside her, the pair oddly quiet. Jim hadn't said much when she met him outside her apartment, only giving her a reassuring nod before they left.

"Captain, I found this in the crashed jump ship, sir," Scotty explained as he held up a small device. " _This_ is how the bastard got away."

"What do you mean?" Jim asked curiously.

"It's a portable transwarp beaming device," Scotty explained.

"How the hell did Harrison get his hands on a device like that?" she questioned immediately.

From what Scotty had told her, the device itself was something that he'd been working on for months now. It was technology that hadn't even made it out to the public yet. Such technology in the wrong hands could easily be used as a weapon if someone manipulated it that way. What worried her and annoyed her was the fact that someone had gotten their hands on said technology in the first place.

"That's exactly what I'd like to know," Scotty shook his head, "No one gets a hold of me technology without permission!"

"Can you figure out where he went?" Jim asked, looking at Scotty after realizing the seriousness of the situation.

Scotty frowned at that, and he shook his head.

"I already did, sir, and you're not gonna like it," he replied, his voice grim, "He-He's gone to the one place we… we just can't go."

By the time Scotty had told Jim where Harrison was, Emily knew that Jim would do whatever it took to find him. It was an act of revenge, on Jim's part. And, one that she knew wouldn't end well. She was beginning to realize that in the end, revenge was never the answer. She had already learned throughout the years just how dangerous revenge could be, and the consequences could be worse for everyone involved. Scotty and Spock had parted ways, but, as she sat on a bench outside of Daystrom, she was surprised to find Leonard approaching her.

"You wanna explain to me what you were doing at that meeting in the first place?" was the first question he had to ask, and the one question Emily had been dreading to answer.

"You might want to sit down for this one," she sighed after running a hand through her hair. Knowing what Jim was up to was one thing. But, explaining to Leonard the situation at hand was a whole different story. The Captain of the Explorer had wanted her there to represent his ship as Liaison; as people of her status were rare enough to begin with. "Spock filed a report," she said once he sat down next to her.

"On what? The Nibiru incident?" Leonard frowned at that, mostly because he knew that everyone had been involved with that incident.

"On… us." The moment she said that was when Leonard's eyes widened to the size of full wasn't surprised by his reaction, or the fact that his shocked face finally turned to a scowl. "Admiral Pike was… reluctant to share the news, but, it came to the Council's attention when they saw the report in question."

"Damn pointy-eared bastard."

The words had practically come out as a growl, and Emily winced at the ferocity in his voice. She knew he wouldn't have taken the news well. The truth was, she had been trying to wrap her mind around the whole issue until she could find an explanation.

"Leonard, we understood the risks of what would happen if we were caught," she reminded him after taking his hand into hers. "I was reassigned to the USS Explorer; the Captain wanted me there to represent his ship, since his First Officer couldn't make it."

She didn't miss the look in his eyes, knowing that if this fell through, neither of them would see much of each other. As much as it pained her to admit it, she knew that this was all because of the regulations. They made it so that people couldn't date superior officers, and that families were no longer allowed to work aboard Starships due to what had happened aboard the USS Kelvin. The Fleet didn't want to take the risks of anything happening to families with children, or worse outcomes.

"This is bullshit," Leonard grumbled with a shake of his head as she leaned her head against his shoulder.

"Yeah, it is. But, regulations are regulations. I know it isn't easy, but, we don't have a say in the matter," she murmured as she felt his arm drape over her shoulder.

If there was anything they could do, she would have done so already. When Leonard was about to kiss her, both their coms went off at the same time, again. Letting out another groan of annoyance, they pulled open their coms, only to find they'd been asked to report to the hangar again. Emily couldn't hide the smirk that followed, despite the reasons behind reporting to the hangar, as she realized that Jim had found a way to get her back on the Enterprise.

"Guess that answers our first problem," she mused.

The second problem was Jim himself. Leonard had been thoroughly pissed when he missed his medical exam, and would likely chase him down the moment they reached the hangar. Sure enough, the first thing Leonard had grabbed was his medical kit as they reached the rest of the crew.

"Jim! Where were you?" he demanded as they reached the shuttle. Both had already changed into their Fleet uniforms before heading for the shuttle hangar.

"For what?" Jim rolled his eyes.

"Your medical exam," Leonard retorted as Jim barely broke his stride, "Ten hours ago, you were in a damn fire-fight. Now, it's my duty to ex—"

"I'm fine, Bones," Jim cut him off.

"The hell you are!"

"Look," Jim sighed in exasperation, turning to face him, "I'm fine, okay? Now, just leave it."

"Jim," Emily began in a warning tone, wincing as she caught the glare that followed.

"Look, Jim, as your friend and as the Chief Medical Officer, it's my duty to make sure that everyone on that ship is healthy," Leonard reminded him.

"I know, Bones," Jim sighed with a shake of his head. "Look, can we deal with this later?"

He turned towards the shuttle after that, leaving the two of them behind. She hated it when Jim refused to accept the fact that he probably did need help. It was just like his typical stubborn attitude to turn down the fact that he'd been caught in the fight, and refused to acknowledge it.

Part of her longed to feel that desire, to avenge Pike's death, and understood where Jim was getting at when it came to the whole idea. But, in all honesty, she was terrified. She didn't want to admit that seeing Jim this way scared her. She knew what the need for revenge was like. She could see it in Jim's eyes, the cold, thoughtless expression that would eventually lead to a reckless decision, which he would later regret. Jim really had no idea what he was getting himself into, in this case.

"Come on," she sighed after taking the lead.

She knew that Jim's stubbornness was something the whole crew had to deal with, not just the two of them. With that thought in mind, neither of them were in any hurry to see how this mission to go after Harrison would go.

"Status report, Mr. Spock?" she heard Jim call as they took their seats.

She almost smirked when she caught Leonard trying to scan Jim's vitals. Hell would have to freeze over before he allowed Jim to get away with avoiding a medical exam.

"The Enterprise should be ready for launch by the time we arrive," Spock replied.

"Good, good," Jim replied.

Emily leaned back against her seat as she listened, wondering how many of the crew members knew what they were getting themselves into. She hated to imagine what would happen when they found out the truth behind their mission. Many would have likely approved the idea of using those torpedoes. But she couldn't shake off the feeling that launching them would end in disaster for everyone involved, especially if the Klingons discovered what they were up to.

"Captain," Spock continued, "Thank you, for requesting my reinstatement."

"You're welcome."

"As I'm again your first officer, it is now my duty to strongly object to our mission perimeters."

"Of course it is."

 _Well, at least Spock finally agrees with me on something_ , Emily thought as she realized she had been thinking the same thing. Jim had told her that they would fire the torpedoes on Harrison, regardless of whether or not he surrendered. She had been worried that something like this would happen, and that he'd act without thinking, once again.

"There is no Starfleet regulation that condemns a man to die without a trial, something you and Admiral Marcus are forgetting," Spock went on, "Also, preemptively firing torpedoes at the Klingon Homeworld goes against—"

"You yourself said the area is uninhabited," Jim reminded him, "There's only going to be one casualty, and in case you weren't listening, our orders have nothing do with Starfleet regulation."

"Wait a minute," Leonard cut in after hearing that report, "We're firing torpedoes at the Klingons?"

"Apparently," Emily muttered under her breath, knowing that the whole thing was wrong.

Not only would it invoke the wrath of the Klingons; it would also prove to every living being that was against Starfleet that they had been right all along. She highly doubted that Jim would think that far ahead, though.

"Regulations aside, this action is morally wrong," Spock voiced her thoughts once again.

"Regulations aside, pulling your ass out of a volcano was morally right! I didn't win any points for that," Jim snapped.

"Jim," Emily suddenly cut in after noticing that the scanner Leonard was using had suddenly spiked, "Did it ever occur to you how the Klingons would react to this? Don't you think this is just a little risky?"

"I'm not gonna take ethics lessons from a robot!" Jim retorted, ignoring her questions.

Emily only scowled as Leonard leaned forward between the seats and placed a scanner on his face. Her head was beginning to throb as their argument got worse. The fact that Jim was ignoring her questions only added to the annoyance she felt.

"Reverting to name calling suggests that you are defensive, and therefore, find my opinion valid," Spock pointed out.

"I wasn't asking for either of your opinions… Bones, get that thing off my face!" Jim shouted, slapping the scanner away.

 _So, now my opinion doesn't matter when it's relevant_? Emily wondered, crossing her arms as she glared back. If she didn't have this damn headache, she would have found the whole argument between Spock and Jim hilarious.

"Captain," Spock began after narrowing his eyes, "Liaison Hayes is right. Our mission could start a war with the Klingons. And it is, by its very definition, immoral. Perhaps, you should take a requisite time to arrive at this conclusion for yourself."

"You know, it's scary when Spock actually agrees with me," Emily muttered under her breath once again.

"Yeah, tell me something I don't know," Leonard rolled his eyes while reading the data on his scanner, looking up only once as a new face arrived in the shuttle.

"Captain Kirk, Science officer Wallace," a pretty looking blond woman introduced herself and handed him a file, "I've been assigned to the Enterprise by Admiral Marcus. These are my transfer orders."

"You requested an additional science officer, Captain?" Spock asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise as Jim read the orders.

"I wish I had." Emily rolled her eyes when she realized Jim was gawking at the newcomer. "Lieutenant Carol Wallace. Doctorate in Applied Physics, specializing in advanced weaponry."

"Impressive credentials," Spock remarked.

"Thank you," she nodded to him.

"But redundant now that I'm back aboard the Enterprise."

If it wasn't for the fact that Spock had agreed with her earlier, she would have scoffed at that. There were plenty of other certified people she'd rather be on board with.

"Yes, and yet, the more the merrier," Jim replied with a smug look. "Have a seat, doctor."

She did just that, sitting between Jim and Spock.

"Shuttle crew, standby for liftoff," the pilot announced over the com.

Emily took a deep breath as the shuttle took off, that dizzy feeling suddenly coming back. She felt relieved when Leonard took her hand and squeezed it gently once more, though he seemed more focused on his readings at the moment.

Once the shuttle had reached the Enterprise and docked, she breathed out a sigh of relief. The dizzy spells didn't occur often, but when they did, they hit her with full force. She knew the reason behind them. And, she would never admit openly to anyone that she was claustrophobic, unless the situation demanded it. Being confined in small spaces like the shuttle made it feel worse when she was surrounded by so many people.

She followed Jim to where the torpedoes had been placed, not missing the fact that Leonard had stopped to read the scans. With a roll of her eyes, she tried to keep a straight face as she spotted Scotty arguing with the representatives that Marcus had hired to deliver the torpedoes.

"No!" Scotty was yelling as they reached him, "I'm not signing anything! Now, get these bloody things off of my ship!"

He stopped after noticing Jim and Emily approaching.

"Is there a problem, Mr. Scott?" Jim asked after rolling his eyes.

"Aye, sir," Scotty nodded and glared at the representative, "I was just explaining to this gentlemen, that I cannae authorize any weapons on board this ship without knowing what's inside them."

"Mr. Scott raises yet another point that—"

"Report to bridge," Jim told him.

Spock pursed his lips for a moment, but he simply nodded and left them.

"Jim, he's only trying to point out the obvious," Emily muttered.

"Mr. Scott," Jim turned his attention to Scotty, and Emily cursed under her breath when he ignored her once again, "I understand your concerns, but we need these torpedoes on board."

"Due respect, sir," Scotty began with a sigh of frustration, "but photon torpedoes run on fuel. Now I cannot detect the type of fuel that's in the compartments on these torpedoes, because it's shielded. Now I asked for the specifications, but he said…" He pointed back to the man.

"It's classified."

"It's Classified. So I said, no specs, no signature!"

"Captain." They looked up to see Sulu standing above them, "Flight checks complete. We're good to go, sir."

"Thank you, Mr. Sulu," Jim nodded.

"Yes, sir."

Emily held back a sigh of frustration as she realized the mention of anything 'classified' could only mean nothing good. Whatever Marcus was hiding; she knew it wouldn't do any of them good if they didn't look into it.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, sir, I have a warp core to prime," Scotty muttered, pausing only to look at Keenser, who was sitting on one of the torpedoes. "Get down!"

"Jim," Leonard cut in after reaching them, "Your vitals are way off."

"Bones, report to medbay," Jim snapped with another roll of his eyes.

"Look, Jim, I know you're not going to listen to reason, but at least try and see how keeping those torpedoes on the ship, and firing them at Harrison is wrong," Emily sighed with a roll of her eyes. "If Marcus is keeping the information on those torpedoes classified, it can't mean anything good."

For a moment, it looked as if Jim actually might consider her advice. Scotty had simply nodded in agreement, looking more than relieved that someone agreed with him.

"Report to the bridge," he sighed after pinching the bridge of his nose.

She simply glared back before shaking her head, knowing that an argument wasn't going to get them anywhere. Things were already tense enough with the torpedoes on the ship, and the fact that they were on the hunt for a fugitive. This mission was really going to test her nerves.

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 **AN: Thanks to Love. Fanfiction. 2016 for reviewing!**


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter Twenty Eight**

" _She said, "It's hard enough trying to live your life. But not following your dreams made you dead inside. If you don't love what you do..._ " - It's Not Right For You, The Script

* * *

"Hey, are you alright?"

Emily blinked in surprise when Uhura joined her. Though they didn't talk much, they met with each other every now and then in the rec rooms while the Enterprise was in service. She had begun to realize that it was better to get to know everyone from the Command Crew than a select few individuals. And surprisingly, Uhura was easier to get along with than most people

"Yeah, just…" She let out a sigh as she thought of the way Jim was acting, and everything else for that matter. It felt as if things couldn't get much worse than they were now. She knew if Jim didn't get his act together sooner rather than later, it would end in disaster for everyone involved. The only consolation she had was that the crew worked well together under dire circumstances. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that, but she had a feeling that it would. "With everything that's been happening, I don't know what to think anymore," she admitted.

"Losing Admiral Pike, that couldn't have been easy." Emily froze at that, her heart pounding with unease as memories of that night came rushing back. She tried pushing them back after realizing that Leonard was right – there was only so much one could do without pushing themselves to their limits. After what had happened to Admiral Pike, the only thing Emily could hope for was that Harrison was brought to justice, rather than killing him the way Jim and Marcus wanted. "I'm sorry," Uhura apologized after realizing she had said the wrong thing.

Though, it was clear that Uhura had enough to worry about as it was. Emily could see that something else was bothering her. She couldn't help but frown as she thought of how Uhura had reacted to when Spock told them to leave him behind in the volcano. She hadn't been happy with Spock's decision to stay behind. Worst still was the fact that he didn't seem to understand _why_ she had been so unhappy. If they did love one another, it made her wonder how Spock could have ignored the fact that he was leaving Uhura behind in the process.

"No, don't apologize," Emily shook her head, "It's just, I'm worried about how Jim's handling the situation. I know he can be an ass at times, but he's usually more level-headed than this."

"Usually?" Uhura rose an eyebrow in amusement at that. Emily was about to say something when they reached the turbolift, and of course, the situation only became more awkward when Jim joined them. "Captain, I'm so sorry about Admiral Pike," Uhura added when she tried to break the awkward silence that followed.

"We all are," he replied, his voice oddly quiet.

Emily simply kept her mouth shut, knowing that anything she seemed to say just went over deaf ears. She hated being ignored. It was the one pet peeve she had where she came from. Years of growing up with parents who either ignored her or cared less about her opinions made her wonder if that would ever change. The only one who ever seemed to truly listen was Leonard.

"Are you okay?" she asked, referring to what Emily had said earlier.

"Fine, thank you, Lieutenant." There was a moment's pause, and Emily could feel his gaze boring through her. He understood why she was so annoyed with him. And it did leave him feeling slightly guilty for putting her in the position he had. "Actually, Scotty just quit." Emily stiffened at that. Scotty was furious with Jim for allowing those torpedoes on the ship without a proper inspection. The worst part was Jim's refusal to listen, and honestly, she wasn't surprised that Scotty would use his lack of listening skills as an excuse to quit. "And your boyfriend's second guessing me every chance he gets."

 _And you're finding that out now_? Emily thought with a roll of her eyes. Spock had always contradicted everything she did. She had gotten used to it over the last year of working together with him, but there were times when his behavior would become infuriating.

"I'm sorry," he apologized after noticing neither of them had said anything. "That was inappropriate. It's just… sometimes I want to rip those bangs off his head. Hell, maybe it's me…"

"It's not you," Uhura replied almost immediately.

"It's not?" Jim frowned, and Emily's mind was already running over the possible scenarios.

Uhura and Spock had been distant, lately. She realized that something more was going on between them. Once again, she had to wonder how Uhura could have fallen for someone like Spock. His constant need for logic and reasoning, along with following the rules, drove her crazy. She tried suppressing her feelings of annoyance and anger towards the Vulcan First Officer. But once again, there was only so much she could take.

"I'd rather not talk about it," she replied, though something told Emily that it was something she didn't want to talk about in front of Jim.

"Oh my God, are you two fighting?" Jim blinked a couple of times, and, his reaction only confirmed why Uhura was unwilling to talk about it around him. It was also another reminder why Emily and Leonard had been reluctant to tell him about their relationship, "What is that even like?" The turbolift doors opened, and Spock was already waiting for them. "Your ears burning?" he quipped, moving to allow the two of them past.

Emily only rolled her eyes at that. She was still ticked off with Spock for having filed a report on her relationship with Leonard. It was always something they knew would happen. But, it was also something they hadn't necessarily planned for. Whatever the case, she was just thankful Jim had assigned her back to the Enterprise. He could have easily forgotten to request her assignment all together, but in doing so, it reminded her of how close they really were as a family.

"Keptain on the bridge!" Chekov announced.

If there was one crew member who always seemed to know when Jim was on the bridge, it was Chekov. Emily almost grinned as she suspected he enjoyed making the announcement. At least someone was trying to make an awkward and tense situation better for everyone.

"Captain," Sulu greeted Jim as he reached the bridge.

"Mr. Chekov, you've been shadowing Mr. Scott and Liaison Hayes, so you are familiar with Engineering systems of this ship?"

She had been working in Engineering for months prior to the Nibiru incident. Scotty had been mildly impressed with how much knowledge she had on the ship when they worked together. The biggest challenge was showing Chekov the ropes of Engineering. She and Scotty took the chance to teach him the basics, making sure that at least someone knew the basics.

"Aye, sir," Chekov replied.

"Good," he patted Chekov on the back, "You're my new chief. Go put on the red shirt."

Chekov blinked at that. Emily could understand his sudden concern about having to wear a red shirt. There were enough myths and rumors flying around about people in red shirts being the first to die, and often in large numbers. Though, she suspected his surprise was more to the fact that Jim had thought of asking him at all.

"Aye, Keptain," he replied after a few seconds of silence had followed, standing up and doing just that.

"Retract all moorings, Mr. Sulu," Jim called after sitting in the chair.

"Yes, sir," Sulu nodded.

"Lieutenant Uhura, open a ship wide channel."

"Yes, sir." Uhura clicked a few buttons and nodded.

"Mr. Chekov, how are we looking down there?" he called to Engineering.

"All systems nominal, Keptain," came Chekov's reply.

"Copy that."

"Varp available at your command."

"Thank you, Mr. Chekov. Alright, lets ride."

"Yes, sir," Sulu reached out and sent them to warp.

"Channel open, sir," Uhura announced, bringing up the ship wide broadcast.

"Attention, crew of the Enterprise," Jim began, "As most of you know, Christopher Pike, former captain of this ship, and our friend, is dead. The man who killed him has fled our system and is hiding on the Klingon Homeworld, somewhere he believes we are unwilling to go. We are on our way there now. Per Admiral Marcus, it is essential that our presence go undetected. Tensions between the Federation and the Klingon Empire have been high, any provocation could lead to an all-out war."

Emily swallowed hard at the mention of Pike. She wasn't willing to admit that the loss of Admiral Pike had shaken her pretty bad. She knew how much Jim wanted revenge on the man responsible for Pike's death. But, revenge wasn't always the answer. To her surprise, and relief, he seemed to contemplate over what she, Spock and Scotty had been warning him about the torpedoes. Using those torpedoes on the Klingon homeworld would only enrage them. She could already imagine the amount of grief it would cause for the Federation as they tried settling decades of war between themselves and the Klingon empire.

"I will personally lead a landing party to an abandoned city on the surface of Kronos, where we will capture the fugitive John Harrison, and return him to Earth so he can face judgment for his actions," he added after hesitating for a moment. He gave her a look, and she nodded reassuringly, hoping he'd understand that this was the right thing to do. "Alright, let's go get this son of a bitch, Kirk out."

"Captain," Spock called as Jim stood up. "I believe you made the right decision. If I can be of assistance, I would be happy to accompany you on the away team."

"You, happy?" Emily scoffed, raising an eyebrow as Spock looked between her and Jim.

As a Vulcan, she highly doubted Spock was capable of such emotions.

"I was simply attempting to use your vernacular to convey an idea," Spock replied.

"Thank you, Mr. Spock," Jim rolled his eyes before looking at Emily. "Look, I get that it's risky firing the torpedoes at Harrison," he sighed. "I'm sorry for what I said earlier."

"Jim, I know this isn't easy, for anyone," she replied with a shake of her head. "Pike was the first one to trust me when I woke up in that hospital. Heck, he was probably the only real father-figure I had in my life. But, letting anger blind your judgement is never a wise choice."

There was still a lot to be said about the fact that she wasn't from this world. The fact that she wasn't willing to go out for revenge said a lot about her. Then again, Jim only knew half of the story – he wasn't aware of how she had ended up in this world, or what had happened prior to waking up. Now, Leonard was the only one who knew the fully story, and even _he_ hadn't gotten the full details.

"I'm joining you on the away team," she added before Jim could say anything else.

"Em, you know Bones is gonna kill me if I let you tag along," he reminded her.

"All the more reason why I should go," she retorted, crossing her arms and smirking in amusement at the glare that followed. "I know he'll wring your neck if you cross the line, and he's not afraid to."

Before Jim could respond, they felt a terrible jolt that nearly sent them both falling to the floor, Jim catching himself on a nearby railing. Emily held back a groan as she recognized that jolt anywhere, realizing Chekov must have dropped the ship out of warp manually. The only reason he would have had to do that was if something had gone horribly wrong. A shiver of unease swept through her as she wondered if that was the case.

"Mr. Chekov, did you break my ship?" Jim demanded after opening the com.

"Sorry, sir," Chekov apologized, his voice sounding rushed, "I don't know vhat happened. I had to actiwate the emergency stop."

"Chekov, the core's overheated," Emily called through the com after realizing what the problem was. Whenever the core got overheated, it would cause malfunctions throughout Engineering that could eventually lead to disaster. Scotty was the first to point this out when it came to having a flawed system. Should something like that ever happen, the best thing to do was find the source of the problem and take care of it immediately. "Check the cooling tank, and find it as soon as possible."

"Understood," Chekov replied, "Sorry, Keptain."

"Damn it," Jim cursed under his breath. "Mr. Sulu, time to our destination?"

"Twenty minutes, sir," Sulu replied, "But that's twenty minutes in enemy space we weren't counting on."

Now, Emily understood what the problem was. They were stuck in Klingon territory. If a passing ship happened to spot them, she had no doubts they wouldn't hesitate to attack. They were vulnerable to any attack from enemy ships, and a shiver of unease swept through Emily when she realized that an attack could end in disaster.

"Alright, we better hop to it," Jim sighed in exasperation. "Mr. Spock, Lieutenant Uhura, you're coming with me. Lieutenant, how's your Klingon?" He looked at Uhura.

"It's rusty, but it's good," she replied.

"Good, you're coming too. This isn't gonna be a problem, is it? You two, working together?"

Emily could almost hear the chagrin in his voice as he looked between Spock and Uhura. She nearly rolled her eyes at the sight when she realized what he was implying. Not for the first time, she reminded herself of why she and Leonard had been so reluctant to tell him the truth about their relationship.

"Absolutely not," Uhura replied.

Spock rose an eyebrow.

"Unclear."

"I'll meet you in the shuttle bay," he told them before turning to Emily. "Are you sure about this?" he asked, and she only rolled her eyes.

"Positive," she replied firmly.

She tried to hide the smirk that followed as Leonard reached them. It was a good thing he'd only gotten half of that, because he seemed to already guess what the two of them were planning.

"You're not actually going down there, are you?" he demanded, shooting them both an accusing look. "You don't rob a bank when the getaway car has a flat tire."

"I'm sure Engineering will have us all patched up by the time we get back," Jim replied with a coy smile before reaching for the com, "Isn't that right, Mr. Chekov?"

"Yes, Keptain," Chekov replied through the com, sounding frazzled, "I'll do my best, sir."

"Mr. Sulu, you have the com. Once we're on route, I want you to transmit a targeted comm-burst to Harrison's location. You tell him you have bunch of real big torpedoes pointed at his head. If he doesn't play nice, you're not afraid to use 'em." She didn't miss the look in Sulu's eyes as he stared in surprise. "Is that a problem?"

"No, sir. I've just never sat in the chair before," he admitted sheepishly.

"You'll do great, Hikaru," Emily reassured him with an encouraging smile, knowing it was true.

If there was anyone she could rely on as a friend, it was Sulu. Jim simply nodded in agreement, and they were both about to leave for the shuttle bay when Leonard got in the way again.

"Jim, wait. You just sat that man down on a high stakes poker game with no cards and told him to bluff," Leonard shook his head, "Now, Sulu's a good man, but he's no Captain—"

"Well, for the next two hours he is. And enough with the metaphors, alright?" Jim retorted with a roll of his eyes. Emily couldn't hide the smirk that followed, knowing that when put under the pressure, Leonard had a tendency to use metaphors. "That's an order. Mr. Sulu," he turned his attention to Sulu, "make sure that the Knormian ship is ready to fly."

"We'll be fine, Leonard," she added reassuringly as Leonard rolled his eyes.

"It's not you I'm worried about," he admitted with a sigh before kissing her on the forehead. "Just make sure you both get back safely."

"I think we both know that's a promise neither of us can guarantee," she whispered, ignoring the scowl that followed.

…

"Acting Captain Sulu to shuttle bay two," Sulu's voice rang through the coms as the four of them, along with one other Security Officer, reached the shuttle bay. "Please have the trade ship we confiscated during mud incident last month, fueled and flight ready. Captain Kirk is on route to you right now."

Admittedly, Leonard was right when he had warned her about worrying over Jim. His reckless decisions thus far had gotten them stuck in enemy territory, with torpedoes that were fully capable of destroying the whole ship. She, Uhura and Spock had changed into outfits that resembled Knormian arms dealers in an attempt to blend in and make themselves less suspicious to the Klingons. Security Officer Henderoff blinked in confusion when he noticed the outfit changes.

"Lieutenant," Jim greeted Henderoff with a nod, "loose the red shirt. You are a Knormian arms dealer, put those on."

"Sir?" Henderoff frowned in confusion.

"Look, if this thing goes south, there can be nothing tying us to Starfleet," Jim explained, "Unless, of course you wanna start a war, Mr. Hendor."

"No, sir."

"Good, me neither."

* * *

 **AN: Thanks Love. Fanfiction. 2016 and Howling2themoon for reviewing! :D**


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter Twenty Nine**

"I am detecting a single life sign in the Ketha Province," Spock reported as the shuttle flew over the vast landscape of Kronos. Emily had only seen videos and pictures of what their territory looked like. And from the looks of it, the area could be mistaken for a video game level. Everyone was oddly quiet. The familiar dizzy feeling that Emily had felt upon the shuttle launches earlier suddenly returned as she struggled to keep herself steady, while Spock confirmed what the single life-form was, "Given the information provided by Mr. Scott, this is most likely John Harrison."

"Mr. Sulu," Jim called through the com, "I think we found our man. You let him know you mean business."

"Aye, Captain," Sulu replied before clearing his throat, all of them being able to hear his words, despite the transmission being sent to Harrison, "Attention, John Harrison. This is Captain Hikaru Sulu of the USS Enterprise. A shuttle of highly trained officers is on its way to your location. If you do not surrender to them immediately, I will launch entire payload of advanced long range torpedoes, currently locked on to your location. You have two minutes to confirm your compliance. Refusal do so will result in your obliteration. If you test me, you will fail."

"Mr. Sulu," Leonard spoke after a moment when the transmission to Harrison cut off, "Remind me never to piss you off."

Emily almost smirked at that. If Leonard knew what Sulu was really capable of when it came to fencing, he'd think twice of pissing the man off. She'd sparred with him on more than one occasion at the gym, and he did put up one hell of a fight. The feelings had always been mutual between them when she took Sulu by surprise on more than one occasion. One of the many qualities about him that she admired was the fact that Sulu knew when the act passive, and when to take on an aggressive stance.

"We will arrive at Harrison's location in three minutes, Captain," Spock informed him. "It is unlikely that he will come willingly. I calculate the odds of him attempting to kill us 91.6%."

"Fantastic," Jim grumbled.

"Good thing you don't care about dying," Uhura muttered.

 _Wow, is she really going to bring this up now_? Emily could almost _feel_ the tension rising as Spock didn't seem to catch the warning tone in Uhura's voice. Clearly, romance wasn't exactly on his mind at the moment. Then again, she pondered over whether or not romance was even in the Vulcan vocabulary. Once again, Emily had to remind herself that Vulcans did feel emotions to some extent. They simply chose to purge their emotions and focus on a logical side of life. That was something she couldn't bring herself to understand, or appreciate.

Humans were emotional. They were capable of dictating logic through their emotions, but not as equally as a Vulcan could. Emily found that emotions were what made humans so… human. She wasn't sure what the best way to describe it was, but it left her appreciating the fact that she didn't have to control her emotions all the time.

"I'm sorry, Lieutenant," he began, glancing at her in surprise, "I could not hear what you said…"

"Oh, I didn't say anything," she said, though it was plainly obvious that she did want to get something off of her chest. "Actually, I'll be happy to speak if you're willing to listen to me."

"Guys," Jim groaned in annoyance.

"Better let them get this done and over with now," Emily muttered with a roll of her eyes, knowing it would only get worse if they didn't talk now.

She and Leonard had long-since learned that letting things go until they developed into an argument like this was the worst thing they could do. Especially since their arguments usually turned into shouting matches. They managed to make things work by spending dinner talking about how their day had gone, or what was causing whatever headaches they suffered from. Emily realized with a start that it had always been a healthy relationship. Being able to talk meant they were usually aware of whether something was wrong or not.

Jim let out another sigh at that, but he allowed them to continue.

"Lieutenant, I would prefer to discuss this in private."

"You would prefer not to discuss it at all," Uhura protested.

"Our plans—"

"At that volcano, you didn't give a thought to us," Uhura snapped, cutting him off, "what it would do to me if you died, Spock. You didn't feel anything. you didn't care. And I'm not the only one whose upset with you, the Captain and Emily are upset too."

"No, no… do not drag me into this," Jim grumbled crossly. Emily held back her own groan, hating the idea of being dragged into whatever the hell was going on between them. Though, she did understand where Uhura was getting at. Hell, Leonard would probably complain about the same thing, though he was fully aware that Emily was capable of taking care of herself. After the way Spock had been acting lately, she wasn't surprised that Uhura dragged them into this mess. "She is right, though."

"Your suggestion that I do not care about dying is incorrect," Spock stated, and Emily rolled her eyes when she realized he would probably lecture them on the moralities of dying rather than apologize. "A sentient beings optimal chance at maximizing their utility is a long and prosperous life."

"Great," Uhura muttered with a roll of her eyes, sensing the lecture as well.

"Not exactly a love song, Spock," Jim remarked.

"You misunderstand. It is true I chose not to feel anything upon realizing that my own life was ending," Spock explained, "As Admiral Pike was dying, I joined with his consciousness and experienced what he felt at the moment of his passing. Anger, confusion, loneliness, fear. I have experienced those feelings before, multiplied exponentially on the day my planet was destroyed. Such a feeling is something I choose never to experience again." He paused and turned to Uhura, "Nyota, you mistake my choice not to feel as a reflection of my not caring. Well, I assure you, the truth is precisely the opposite."

Uhura opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off when the ship suddenly jolted, nearly sending them flying off the seats they were strapped in. Once again, Emily was thankful for the straps, and she was suddenly reminded of why Leonard hated flying in these shuttles.

"What the hell was that?" Jim shouted.

"Well, I don't know," Emily rolled her eyes, "Maybe an attack?"

She turned to the controls, checking the readings of the ship.

"We are being pursued by a D4 Class Klingon vessel," Spock reported.

"It must be a random patrol," Uhura stated as she frantically tried to keep the com open to the Enterprise.

Of all the times they could have patrolled, it had to be now. She shouldn't have felt so surprised knowing that the Klingons would patrol the area. Though, she wondered if Harrison's presence had alerted the Klingons to their arrival. She wouldn't have been surprised if he pulled off that kind of stunt, given his history already.

"Hold on!" Jim winced as he tried maneuvering the shuttle while it was hit again.

"This ship has no offensive capabilities," Spock reminded everyone.

"She's got us," Jim reassured him, though Emily was clinging onto whatever she could for dear life as he grabbed hold of the controls, "Give me all six fuel cells."

"Aye, Captain!" Hendoroff was rushing to get it done.

"Damn it!" Emily cursed under her breath as they were hit again, just another reminder that they didn't have shields either to protect them from the blows. "We're not gonna be able to take a few more hits like that!"

"They are closing fast, bearing two-eight-five," Uhura reported.

Jim looked down at the scanner, revealing a 3D map that also resembled a grid-like image of the area that was helping him maneuver through the area. Emily followed his gaze, frowning as she noticed a fracture of sorts between the two mountains. It was tiny. Tiny enough that she knew they were going to struggle fitting through the crack. But she also knew that Jim wanted to throw off the Klingons while they had the advantage.

"Right there! There! We can lose them there," he pointed out.

"If you are suggesting that we utilize the passage between the approaching structures, this ship will not fit."

"We'll fit."

"Captain, we will _not_ fit."

"Spock, would you shut up already?" Emily shouted, clutching the arms of her chair for dear life, and begging that they got through safely as the shuttle flew right at the crack.

"We'll fit!" Jim gripped the steering tightly, "We'll fit!" He shouted as the shuttle flew through the crevice, the walls of the crevice scraping against it as they barely squeezed through the crack, and knocking off a big piece of the shuttle in the process. Emily let out a sigh of relief when they emerged on the other side. Jim grinned and leaned back against his seat, looking triumphant. "Told you we'd fit."

"I am not sure that qualifies," Spock remarked.

"Any sign of them?" Jim looked around hopefully.

"No," she answered, "Which worries me."

"We lost them."

"Or, they're jamming our scanners."

That left Emily feeling worried as she recalled the attack on Vulcan. Knowing that the Romulans had been able to block the transmissions, and they had ambushed every other Fleet ship, Emily knew that this could very well be a similar attack.

"Or, we lost them," Jim insisted, leading the ship up to continue their search for Harrison.

Emily winced as they reached the Klingon ships that looked as if they'd been waiting for them. The lights on the enemy ships turned on, putting them on the spotlight, and giving them no chance to escape. She'd read enough stories to know that the Klingons wouldn't let them survive. Her heart was beginning to race at the thought of what would happen if the Klingons launched an attack on them.

"They're ordering us to land," Uhura reported, frowning at the gurgled message sent by the Klingons.

She only knew bits and pieces of their crude language, and that was only thanks to Kayla's lessons. Most of what they said sounded like gibberish to her, but seeing the look of panic written across Uhura's face told her it couldn't be anything good.

 _They're going to kill us_ , she realized as Jim nodded and let the ship slowly descend to the ground, the Klingon ships following.

"Captain, they're gonna wanna know why we're here. And they're gonna torture us, question us, and they're gonna kill us," Uhura confirmed her worst fears.

"So we come out shooting," Jim decided.

"And exactly how are we supposed to do that?" Emily quipped, narrowing her eyes at the sheer stupidity of the idea, "All we have are our phasers."

Uhura nodded in agreement.

"We are outnumbered, outgunned. There's no way we survive if we attack first," she added, turning to look at Jim, "You brought me here because I speak Klingon, then let me speak Klingon."

"No," Jim shook his head, not willing to risk her life.

…

Uhura stepped out of the shuttle, slowly, cautiously, making her way over to the Klingon vessels, alone. It had taken a bit of arguing, but she and Emily were finally able to convince Jim that Uhura was trained for this job. They all took positions inside the shuttle, watching with growing unease as Uhura approached the vessels. She knew that if they made one wrong move, everything would end in disaster. Uhura was risking her life to speak with the Klingons. The more she thought about it, the stronger her grip on her phaser grew. She pressed forward as Jim and Spock stood on either side of her while keeping an eye on Uhura and their enemies.

"This isn't going to work," Jim muttered.

"It is our only logical option," Spock reminded him, though Emily could see that even _he_ was worried for Uhura's safety. Emily swallowed as Uhura raised her hands, the door to the Klingon ship slowly opening. Her nerves were really starting to kick in as a small looking army emerged, "And if you interrupt her now you, will not only incur the wrath of the Klingons, but that of Lieutenant Uhura as well."

The tension was almost unbearable. As Spock began translating what Uhura was saying to the Klingons, she could see that every one of them appeared hostile and unmoved by her speech. However, she was surprised when the Klingon who was speaking for his group removed his helmet. It was only a few minutes later when the leader of the group suddenly grabbed Uhura by the face, pulling a knife and holding it against her.

"Go!" Jim gave the order that sent them all racing out of the shuttle, Spock and the Security Officer following shortly after.

She only stopped in her tracks when she heard a blast. Her heart began racing once again as she tried wrapping her mind around the chaos that sprung around them. The Klingons were firing randomly at whatever they deemed a target. And whoever fired the blast didn't hesitate to fire back at the Klingons or the Starfleet Officers.

Emily peered out the window in time to see someone attack the Klingons, taking the one that had grabbed Uhura down with ease. Emily winced as the Klingons began firing their weapons at them, and Uhura was caught in the crossfire as she tried to get back to the shuttle.

 _I'm not letting her die as well_ , Emily thought as determination set in. She had already watched too many people die. And she sure as hell wasn't about to let it happen again as she made a mad dash for Uhura, firing at the Klingons that were too close for comfort, the rest of the crew close behind her.

"Come on!"

Emily wasted no time in grabbing Uhura and ushering her out of the firing zone once there was a clear path, to where the crew was gathering. Only Jim was missing at this point, and Emily had a vague idea where he could be. Sure enough, he came crashing to the ground as a Klingon attacked.

They could only watch on in shock as a blast went right through the Klingon that was about to attack him. Emily felt her blood run cold as she saw a figure standing above them, lifting his mask to reveal the face of Harrison.

Emily had to hide the shiver of unease that crawled through her. This was the man responsible for killing so many innocent people, from the people in London, to Admiral Pike. She ran over to Jim as Harrison attacked the Klingons singlehandedly, without even breaking a sweat. Emily tore her gaze from the scene as she carefully pulled Jim back to the crew.

Harrison's eyes were focused on them, now approaching them with a gun in hand. Emily narrowed her eyes as she and Uhura crouched beside Jim. After seeing the way he took down those Klingons with ease, she had no doubt in the back of her mind that he would kill them with no remorse.

"Stand down!" Spock ordered after grabbing a gun and moving to defend them.

"How many torpedoes?" the man asked, ignoring the gun that was aimed at him.

"Stand down!" Spock repeated more forcefully this time.

Harrison turned and fired at Spock's gun, knocking it away before turning back to the crew, "Your torpedoes! The Weapons you threaten me within your message. How many are there?"

Emily narrowed her eyes at that. How would he know about the torpedoes, or how many were supposedly there?

"Seventy two," Spock answered when he realized no one else would.

Harrison looked at him for a moment, before suddenly dropping his weapon.

"I surrender."

 _That was almost too easy_ , she thought, narrowing her eyes as she realized something wasn't right, here. She remembered that scene from the Avengers, where Loki had given himself up without too much of a fight. And, of course, Captain America had been right when he claimed it was too easy, that he packed a wallop.

Jim didn't seem to care, though, as he slowly approached Harrison and glared. "On the behalf of Christopher Pike, my friend, I accept your surrender," he drawled.

Emily winced as he started hitting Harrison across the face repeatedly. The man wasn't even putting up a fight, making the scene all-the-more pathetic. The worst was seeing how bloodied and bruised Jim's knuckles got with each punch. He didn't seem to care whether or not he was hurting himself while punching Harrison until he had no energy left.

"Captain!" Uhura finally cried after a few seconds passed.

To Emily's relief, he stopped, only for Harrison to look at him with renewed interest. A shiver swept through her under that piercing stare. After the way Harrison had easily given himself up, she had no doubt he wasn't up to any good.

"Captain?" he repeated in a somewhat mocking tone.

"Cuff him," Jim ordered Spock.

* * *

 **AN: ... *Is too busy listening to Bethel Music to write proper author's note*... um, thanks Howling2themoon and Lover. Fanfiction. 2016 for reviewing!**


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter Thirty**

" _If you're so carefree but so not careless, Such a wreck, but ain't love wreck-less If you're listening I hope you hear this Long live the young at heart You know who you are, With your spirit burning Take a risk and take a chance, Carry on Long live the soul set free, Don't be afraid to dream While the world's still turning, Every moment, make it happen With two left feet, Keep on dancing..._ " - Long Live, for King and Country

* * *

The trip back to the Enterprise was very uncomfortable, to say the least. Emily could practically feel his gaze boring through her as the shuttle had finally reached the Enterprise. Whatever the reason behind that stare, she felt really uneasy around him. Harrison was a dangerous enough criminal as it was, and she wasn't in a forgiving mood for what he had done to Admiral Pike. Even so, that didn't stop her from making sure that he didn't pull off any tricks while they were on their way to the brig.

"Bones, meet us at the brig," Jim called through the com as Harrison was led to the brig by a team of Security Officers.

"I'll be right there," Leonard replied.

He nodded at that before turning to Uhura.

"Lieutenant, contact Starfleet. Let them know we have Harrison in our custody. And we will be on our way once the warp core is repaired," he added.

"Yes, sir," Uhura nodded before doing just that.

"Why the hell did he surrender?" Leonard asked once he had joined them on their way to the brig.

Good question. Emily was still wondering the same thing herself, knowing that Harrison could have just as easily killed the rest of them and probably wouldn't lose an ounce of sleep over it. That was what bothered her the most. It seemed as though Harrison was more of a sociopath than anything else. He wouldn't have given himself up unless he had a valid reason for it. Experience taught her that if he was a sociopath, then he had unfinished business with Starfleet.

"I don't know," Jim replied, "he just took out a squadron of Klingons single handedly. I wanna know how."

"I'd like to know how he was able to take so many damn punches without even flinching," Emily put in.

She knew from experience that a good punch to the face should have earned the man a black eye. He barely looked as if he'd taken a hit, and the smug look written across his face only fueled her annoyance. His physical strength and endurance was something that made her feel all the more cautious around him.

"Sounds like we have a Superman on board," Leonard remarked, trying to make it sound like a joke, but failed miserably.

"You tell me," Jim muttered as the three of them headed to Harrison's cell.

Once they had reached the cell, Leonard dragged a small metal hole to the glass.

"Put your arm through the hole, I'm gonna take a blood sample," he ordered.

Harrison rolled up his sleeve and did just that. Once he placed his arm through the hole, Leonard applied a hypospray and began taking a small bit of blood. She knew that any scientist would want to know what was really going on with the man.

"Why aren't we moving, Captain?" He tilted his head to one side, "An unexpected malfunction perhaps in your warp core," His gaze shifted over to Emily, who felt her blood run cold under that piercing gaze, "conveniently stranding you on the edge of the Klingon space?"

Emily had suspected that it was sabotage the moment Chekov reported it. The fact that Harrison knew about it only left her feeling that much more suspicious of his actions. Leonard stiffened and exchanged a look with Jim in surprise as he seemed to know more than he was letting on.

"How the hell do you know that?" Leonard demanded, narrowing his eyes.

"Bones," Jim began in a warning tone.

"I think you'd find my insight valuable, Captain."

 _Insight my ass_ , Emily thought bitterly, realizing he was just toying with Jim. He was already acting on impulse ever since Admiral Pike's death. She had little doubt that Harrison would try to take advantage over Jim's emotions when he was in such a vulnerable state. Leonard pulled out the injector and glared at Harrison.

"We good?"

"Yeah," Leonard replied.

"Let me know what you find," Jim ordered before glancing at Emily, who was still glaring back at Harrison. "Go with him," he added knowingly.

Emily was about to argue when she caught the knowing look in Leonard's eyes. Staying in the same room with Harrison wasn't a good idea, and Jim seemed to sense that. She let out a sigh and conceded, knowing full well that arguing wouldn't get her anywhere.

…

"I don't know what's worse, knowing that bastard's our prisoner, or that we're stuck in Klingon space," Emily muttered the moment they had reached medbay.

"I'd go with the latter." He turned and eyed her curiously. "You wanna tell me what's on your mind?"

She looked at him in surprise before resisting the urge to roll her eyes. He knew her too damn well, and yes, something else had been bothering her since they brought Harrison in. A shiver of unease swept through her when she looked down at the floor warily.

"This isn't going to end well," she sighed, leaning against a nearby wall with her arms crossed. "I just can't shake off the feeling that something bad is going to happen."

And, in the back of her mind, she knew that it was true. Being stuck in Klingon territory was bad enough, but knowing that Harrison was likely egging Jim on only made it worse. Jim may be smart enough to know when someone was toying with him, but that didn't stop him from making reckless decisions.

"Well, considering where we are, that doesn't surprise me," Leonard remarked thoughtfully before reaching her.

"You know, for someone who has aviaphobia, you're taking this remarkably well," she couldn't help but point out, earning a smirk of amusement as he knelt down and kissed her.

"It helps not to look out the windows."

She only smirked at that, and was about to say something else when they were both called outside the brig, where Jim and Spock were waiting. And, it had taken Jim only a few minutes to explain his theory about the torpedoes, and what Harrison had told him. Emily merely blinked in disbelief when she realized that Jim did have a good point when it came to the fact that Harrison knew so much about the torpedoes, and that inspecting them might be a wise choice.

"Are you out of your corn fed mind?" Leonard demanded, drawling her attention, "You're not gonna actually listen to this guy. He killed Pike, he almost kills you, and now you think it's a good idea to pop open a torpedo because he dared you to?"

"Why did he save our lives, Bones?" Jim countered.

Again, he had a good point. Emily realized that Harrison wouldn't have saved their lives unless Sulu relayed the message about those torpedoes. Which could only mean that Harrison knew something about the torpedoes that they didn't. And that annoyed her to no end. Knowledge on the torpedoes would give them an advantage over whatever plans Marcus had in store for them.

"The doctor does have a point, Captain," Spock remarked, and Emily almost laughed at Leonard's reaction.

"Don't agree with me, Spock. It makes me very uncomfortable," he muttered.

"Perhaps you too should learn to govern your emotions, Doctor," Spock told him, which made the whole scene all the funnier when she caught the glare that followed, "In this situation, logic dictates that we have—"

"Spock, stop, please," Emily shook her head, knowing that whatever Spock tried pointing out would only infuriate him.

"Logic! My God! There's a maniac trying to make us blow up our own damn ship, and you're talking about—"

"Stop it!" Jim snapped, clearly not in the mood to hear their banter, "I don't know why he surrendered, but that's not it. So, if we're gonna open a torpedo, the question is how?"

"But, Jim, without Mr. Scott on board, who exactly is qualified to just pop open a four ton stick of dynamite?" Leonard asked.

Not that Emily didn't blame him for including her; admittedly, she was better at fixing things, and inventing, then taking them apart. Having taken the classification of a Liaison, Emily had learned all she could in the field of Engineering as well, but she knew that one wrong move and the torpedo would go off.

"The Admiral's daughter appeared to be have interest in the torpedoes and she is a weapons specialist," Spock suggested, earning looks of surprise from everyone. "Perhaps she could be of some use."

"What Admiral's daughter?" Jim asked, frowning in confusion.

"Carol Marcus," Spock replied, not looking the least bit surprised by their confusion, "Your new Science Officer concealed her identity to board the ship."

"And when were you planning on telling us this?" Emily asked with a raised eyebrow.

Admittedly, she didn't like Admiral Marcus. But, from the time she had shown up on the shuttle, Carol Marcus didn't seem anything like her father. She just hoped that Carol would be more than willing to help them out during a time of desperation.

"When it became relevant, as it just did," Spock replied.

"Emily, check on Chekov in Engineering," Jim sighed with a roll of his eyes.

…

"Captain on the bridge!"

This time it was Sulu who made the announcement as Jim stepped onto the bridge, heading for the chair and seeing Emily back in her post. She looked worried, and no one could really blame her, especially with the task at hand. After some more arguing with Leonard, Jim had finally convinced him to go, if not for Carol Marcus' protection. Of course, that would be the only reason behind his agreement to the plan. Emily nearly rolled her eyes at the thought. Leonard was too much of a gentleman to admit that he found Carol attractive. And if she was being honest with herself, the woman was attractive. Which left her feeling more anxious than usual as she thought of what they were doing right at that moment.

"Mr. Sulu," Jim began, turning to the pilot, "have Doctors Marcus and McCoy landed on the planetoid yet?"

"Yes, sir. They're moving the torpedo into position now," Sulu replied.

"Good, any activity from the Klingons?"

"Not yet… but if we're stuck here much longer, they will find us."

Emily chewed the bottom of her lip at that. The Klingons would inevitably find them, and they wouldn't hesitate to attack if they saw a Fleet ship. What worried her more than anything though, was the task both Leonard and Carol Marcus had been assigned to. She wasn't sure what was riskier – opening the torpedoes or being stuck in Klingon space.

"Lieutenant Uhura, did you let Starfleet know we have Harrison in custody?" Jim asked, turning to Uhura.

"Yes, sir," she replied, "No response yet."

"Engineering to bridge," Emily turned upon hearing that transmission, "Hello, Emily, can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear, Chekov," she replied through the com, "What's your status? Did you find the leak?"

"Exactly vhere you said it vould be," Chekov replied. She had stopped by earlier just as Jim had ordered, finding the place a mess. The pipes had been leaking coolant, and when they found the source of the leak, Chekov had been more than relieved. However, that wasn't enough to stop all of the leaks, but at least they had found the source. It would take days to repair the full extent of the damage caused by said leaks, "but the damage is substantial! Ve are vorking on it."

"And still no idea on what caused it?" she asked.

She couldn't help but frown as she recalled searching for reasons behind what had caused the leaks and why. Once again, she suspected sabotage had something to do with it, but she wasn't planning on putting the blame on anyone just yet.

"No. But I accept full responsibility."

"Chekov, don't blame yourself for something you clearly didn't do," she reassured him, "Keep me posted."

"Aye," Chekov agreed. She glanced at Jim, who'd caught the conversation and shook her head.

"No one's sure what caused the leak," she explained warily.

Jim frowned, but nodded at that. Even if it was sabotage, like they suspected, there was no way to prove it. Emily couldn't shake off the feeling that this had everything to do with Harrison giving himself up so easily, and the torpedoes that Marcus had entrusted them with.

"Shuttle is standing by, Captain," Sulu told him.

"Bones, thanks for helping out," Jim called through the com. "Doctor Marcus asked for the steadiest hands on the ship."

"You know, when I dreamed about being stuck on a deserted planet with a gorgeous woman, there was no torpedo."

Emily only rolled her eyes at that when she caught the smirk on Jim's face. She knew what was on his mind. The only consolation she had was that he didn't say it out loud, especially with everyone on the bridge listening.

"Doctor McCoy, may I remind you, you are not there to flirt," Jim retorted

He would have added, 'not to mention, your girlfriend who you claim isn't your girlfriend can hear every word you're saying.' But, he decided to leave Emily up for whatever hell she'd give Leonard once this was over. And, she planned on giving him just that.

"So, how can these legendary hands help you Doctor Marcus?"

By now, Emily was struggling not to laugh at how badly he was flirting with Carol. After sharing a room with him for two and half years at the Academy, and living with him for another year, she'd quickly learned that Leonard was a horrible flirt. Despite all of that, she found his attempts humorous at best.

"Bones," Jim rolled his eyes at her expense. He glanced in Emily's direction to see that she was smothering a fit of laughter. She'd experienced first-hand how 'magical' his hands were. "Tell me he isn't like this around you when you're alone?" he added after turning off his com.

"Only when drunk," she replied with a sly grin. "And he really does have magical hands."

Jim just grimaced at the thought of how she'd figured that out, "That was more information than I needed to know."

"To understand how powerful these weapons are we need to open the warhead," Carol's voice cut through their banter as she explained what they needed to do. She notably ignored Leonard's attempts at flirting with her, which only made the whole thing that much more hilarious, "To do that, we need to access the fuel compartment. Unfortunately for us, the warheads on these weapons are live."

"Sweetheart, I once a performed an emergency C-section on a pregnant Gorn. Octuplets. Let me tell you, those little bastards bite. I think I can work some magic on your missile."

Emily grimaced at that, having heard that story far too many times. And it was usually when he was drunk out of his mind. She doubted it had been a pleasant memory, though he could laugh about it now.

"Doctor McCoy, there's a bundle of fiber optic-cables against the inner casing," Carol told him. "You'll need to cut the twenty-third wire down. Whatever you do, do not touch anything else. Do you understand?"

"Right. The thought never crossed my mind," Leonard sighed.

"Doctor McCoy, wait for my word. I'm re-routing the detonation processor. Are you ready?"

"And raring."

"Good luck."

Emily held her breath, dreading what would happen next. Torpedoes were sensitive weapons; one wrong move could end up detonating the device. Everything had gone smoothly up until everyone heard an alarm go off, and the sound of something metallic shutting itself.

"Sir, the torpedo just armed itself!" Sulu reported.

Her heart was racing with dread as she realized what was happening. If the warhead suddenly went off, it would take both Carol and Leonard with the explosion. Her heart suddenly wrenched at that realization.

"The warhead's gonna detonate in thirty seconds," she reported, feeling as if someone had kicked her in the side.

"What the hell happened?" She winced at the struggle in Leonard's voice, "I can't get my arm out!"

"Get their signal, beam them back right now," Jim ordered after his eyes widened in alarm.

"Transporter cannot differentiate between Doctor McCoy and the torpedo," Spock informed him, "We cannot beam back one without the other."

"Doctor Marcus, can you disarm it?"

"I'm trying!" Carol cried out, "I'm trying!"

"Jim, get her the hell out of here!" Leonard shouted.

"Like hell we're gonna leave either of you down there, Leonard," Emily finally snapped after switching her com on.

She'd already lost Admiral Pike. Losing Leonard was the worst thing she could ever imagine. Seeing the look on Jim's face told her that he felt the same way. He wasn't planning on letting another friend die on him.

"Em's right; we aren't leaving you behind," Jim added.

"Which is precisely why I need to stay here!" Carol snapped, "If you beam me back, he dies! Just let me do it!"

"Ten," Leonard swallowed, starting the count, "Nine, eight…"

"Standing by to transport Doctor Marcus, on your command, sir," Sulu reported, though it was plain to see that Jim planned on waiting until the last minute.

"Four, three…"

"Shit!" Carol cried, ripping something, and from the sound of it, a clamping noise sounded, only this time, it sounded as if it was a release.

"Deactivation successful, Captain," Sulu sighed in relief.

"Thank God," Emily let out a rush of air she hadn't realized she was holding.

If the torpedo had gone off, she would have never forgiven herself. Then again, she would have tried finding some way to bring Leonard back to life and beat the crap out of him for being a pain in the ass.

"Doctor McCoy, are you alright?" Jim asked once the tension had died down. But, the feed was silent. "Bones?"

"Jim?" Leonard's voice came back, only this time he sounded stunned, "You and Emily need to see this."

* * *

 **AN: I'm starting to lose track of what I should post down here. Other than a welcome review or two, but, to each their own. Huge thanks to Howling2themoon and Love. Fiction. 2016 (Only just realized I spelled your name wrong last chapter D:) for reviewing!**


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter Thirty One**

"What have we got?" Jim asked when they reached medbay.

"It's quite clever, actually," Carol began as she showed them what had been in the torpedo. Emily's eyes widened when she realized they were bodies. Bodies that looked as if they'd been frozen for years. She knew that the technology was possible, and that it had been done even in her world. Heck, Walt Disney was supposedly frozen in ice somewhere. "This fuel container's been removed from the torpedo and retro fitted to hide this cryo-tube."

"Is he alive?" Emily asked curiously.

"He's alive," Leonard replied once he'd joined them, "but if we try to revive him without the proper sequencing, it could kill him. This technology is beyond on me."

"How advanced, Doctor?" Spock asked.

"It's not advanced. That cryo-tube is ancient," Carol corrected them both.

"We haven't needed to freeze anyone since we developed warp capability," Leonard put in, "Which explains the most interesting thing about our friend here. He's three hundred years old."

That caught Emily's attention. With all the rumors flying around in her world about people being frozen and surviving for hundreds of years in ice, she had no doubt that it was possible for someone to survive that long. The moment Spock and Jim had left to face Harrison again, she punched Leonard lightly in the arm.

"That was for scaring me," she muttered crossly.

"How the hell was I supposed to know the torpedo would arm itself?" he retorted.

Carol was still there, watching the two curiously, and Emily could feel her eyes wandering between the two of them, quickly working out that something was going on between them. She didn't care at that point whether anyone was watching them or not. She'd nearly lost him when his arm was caught by the torpedo warhead, and that realization finally struck her hard.

"You're an idiot," she snapped. Though, she was more terrified with the idea of what would happen if anything happened to him, or to anyone close to her. "I've already lost Admiral Pike… I don't want to lose you."

Leonard's face softened when he finally realized why she had been so annoyed. Letting out a heavy sigh, he finally wrapped his arms around her in a comforting embrace. He knew that the feelings were mutual, and it hadn't been fair to put her in that position.

"You really are an enigma." Emily merely smirked at that, having gotten used to the little quips between them. "I don't plan on going anywhere, anytime soon."

There was a moment's pause when he suddenly pressed his lips against hers. She welcomed the embrace, grateful that he was alive after that ordeal. She really didn't know what she would have done with herself, if anything had happened to him. After everything that happened, even if they weren't willing to take things a step further and admit what they really were, she loved him.

"Good," she whispered after they had pulled apart. "By the way, the next time you try and flirt with someone, you could at least try and put a little more effort in it," she added before reporting to her station, ignoring the wide-eyed look that followed.

…

The moment she had left was when Leonard had applied a hypospay to his arm. Once the adrenaline had worn off, it began hurting like hell. And frankly, he couldn't really blame Emily for being pissed off with him. Carol let out a small noise to remind him that he wasn't alone, and he looked up to find her smirking in amusement. Though they tried to keep their relationship professional while on duty, it was hard during times like these. And Leonard was slowly beginning to reach the daunting conclusion that Emily meant so much more to him than he could ever admit out loud.

"It's cute, the two of you being together," she remarked. "It's obvious she cares about you."

"Yeah, well, I don't know what I've done to deserve it," he admitted, suddenly feeling guilty for what had happened on that planetoid.

Carol only rolled her eyes at that. Considering the fact that he had been flirting with her on the planetoid, she could understand his confusion and embarrassment.

"Are the feelings mutual?" she suddenly asked, earning a look of surprise.

They hadn't really gone public with their relationship. Memories of the last relationship still haunted him. The divorce that had ended miserably was just another reminder of how badly he failed at relationships. But, Emily was different from any other woman he'd ever met. Not only had she put up with him for the last three years, but, she could also easily put him in his place when it came to losing his temper. To top things off, she'd suffered from more than he could imagine, and still remained strong to this day.

Her courage was one of the many reasons he'd admired her from afar. And, her loyalty to the crew, and to her friends, showed just how much she cared for everyone. Once again, he found himself thinking of how beautiful she was when she cared. Hell, if she was able to stick with Jim for all these years and treat him as a brother, he knew she was capable of dealing with him for a longer period of time.

"Yeah," he eventually replied with a nod.

"Then why not make it public?" Carol asked, tilting her head to one side. He was silent for a moment, and she frowned. "Bad experiences?" she offered, her tone surprisingly gentle.

"Somethin' along those lines," he replied with a shrug, not really wanting to delve any deeper than he already had.

"Look, Doctor McCoy, I know a thing or two about relationships," Carol sighed with a shake of her head, "And if there's one thing I know, it's that hiding your feelings will only make your job that much more difficult."

Leonard swallowed at that, knowing full well that Carol was right. Hell, most of the crew was aware that something was going on between them. Jim was the first to find out they had been sleeping together long before the attack on Vulcan, and his reaction had been less then spectacular. Something needed to be said and done, but he just didn't know what to say.

…

"Why is there a man in that torpedo?" Jim was asking when Emily had arrived in the brig.

Spock was already at his side, and he stepped to the side to let her join them as they interrogated Harrison. She wanted nothing more than to be there during the interrogation. Harrison's knowledge on the torpedoes had left her wondering how much more he knew about the Federation, and what sort of secrets Admiral Marcus had been keeping from them. She couldn't shake off the feeling that it had been a little too coincidental that Marcus allowed Jim to go into Klingon territory with the permission to fire those torpedoes.

"There are men and women in all those torpedoes, Captain. I put them there," Harrison replied, smirking as he looked between Jim and Emily.

"Who the hell are you?" Jim asked, ignoring the rising tension.

"A remnant of a time long past. Genetically engineered to be superior, so as to lead others to peace in a world at war," Harrison explained, his eyes never leaving Emily, who stiffened under that piercing gaze, "But we were condemned as criminals, forced into exile. For centuries we slept, hoping when we awoke things would be different. But as a result of the destruction of Vulcan, your Starfleet began to aggressively search distant quadrants of space. My ship was found adrift; I alone was revived."

"I looked up John Harrison. Until a year ago he didn't exist," Jim told him.

"John Harrison was a fiction created the moment I was awoken by your admiral Marcus to help him advance his cause, a smokescreen to conceal my true identity," the man replied, "My name is Khan."

Emily stiffened at the name. Now, she understood why this man had looked so familiar. She remembered hearing Julia mention that Khan was one 'bad ass' villain in the movies, and he could easily give Loki a run for his money in terms of big egos as far as villains were concerned. Now, she was beginning to see where Julia had been getting at with that. Seeing the way Khan inspected them as if they were his prey left her feeling even more uneasy, especially since he seemed to have such deep knowledge on Starfleet.

"Why would a Starfleet Admiral ask a three-hundred year old frozen man for help?"

Jim shook his head, trying to wrap his mind around why this was happening in the first place. The truth of it was, this whole situation made no sense. Khan's attack on Starfleet left Emily believing that he wasn't entirely truthful with his explanation about being peaceful.

"Because I am better," Khan simply replied.

"At what?" Emily demanded, rolling her eyes when she realized Julia had made a good point about his ego.

"Everything." He paused, piercing gaze falling upon her once more. She felt her blood run cold under that gaze, knowing that Khan probably knew more about what those creatures had done to her than _she_ did. That thought alone terrified her. Those creatures had come out of nowhere, and, she hadn't seen anything in the Starfleet databases about them, either. "Alexander Marcus needed to respond to an uncivilized threat in a civilized time, but for that he needed a warrior's mind, my mind, to design weapons and warships."

"You are suggesting the Admiral violated every regulation he vow to uphold simply because he wanted to exploit your intellect," Spock remarked, eyeing the man curiously, and not having missed the fact that Khan's attention seemed focused on Emily rather than his interrogators.

"He wanted to exploit my savagery. Intellect alone is useless in a fight, Mr. Spock," Khan pointed out, "You… you can't even break a rule, how would you be excepted to break bone? Marcus used me to design weapons, to help him realize his vision of a militarized Starfleet." Khan turned his gaze on Jim this time, "He sent you to use those weapons, to fire my torpedoes on an unsuspecting planet. And then he purposely crippled your ship in enemy space, leading to one inevitable outcome. The Klingons will come searching for whomever was responsible, and you would have no chance of escape. Marcus would finally have the war, he talked about the war, he always wanted."

"No. No. I watched you open fire in a room full of unarmed Starfleet officers," Jim shook his head, clearly refusing to believe that Marcus was capable of such savagery, "You killed them in cold blood!"

But, as Emily thought back to it, she recalled how determined Marcus was at using Khan's attack in London to hunt the man down, turning this into a military operation. And then, she remembered how eager he was to accept her into Starfleet, because she wasn't from this world.

"Marcus took my crew from me!" Khan cried out, narrowing his eyes at Jim.

"You are a murderer!" Jim snapped, stepping forward so that he was only inches from the glass wall.

The fact that Khan had killed so many innocent people and felt no remorse only infuriated Emily. And yet, she couldn't bring herself to seek the revenge that Jim obviously craved. Revenge was like a poison that could slowly eat away at anyone, and that was what scared her the most. She didn't want to turn into the person who regretted whatever choices she made purely out of anger.

"He used my friends to control me. I tried to smuggle them to safety by concealing them in the very weapons I had designed. But I was discovered, I had no choice but to escape alone," Khan went on, turning away from them so that his back now faced them, "And when I did, I had every reason to suspect that Marcus had killed every single one of the people I hold most dear. So I responded in kind. My crew is my family, Kirk. Is there anything you would not do for your family?"

 _I would die for them_ , Emily thought without hesitation. Yes, she was willing to risk her life and ensure the safety of everyone she had cared about. Admiral Pike had seen that in her the moment they met. He had told her that she could do something worthwhile in her life, instead of hiding out like a coward. In that sense, she understood where Khan was getting at. But, that didn't answer for the murders he'd committed.

"Proximity alert, sir. There's a ship at warp heading right for us," he reported.

"Klingons?" Jim frowned, knowing this conversation was far from over.

"At warp? No, Kirk. We both know who it is," Khan told him, giving him a look.

"I don't think so," Sulu agreed over the com, having not heard him, "It's not coming at us from Kronos."

"It's Marcus," Emily whispered.

A knot formed in the pit of her stomach as she realized Khan was right. Marcus was responsible for the death of Admiral Pike, and everything else that had happened. The bastard was going to pay for everything he had done.

"Lieutenant," Jim called to one of the crew members as he, Emily and Spock headed for the bridge, "move Khan to medbay, post six Security Officers on him."

"Yes, Captain," the man nodded before doing just that.

…

"Captain on the bridge!" Sulu announced once they had reached the bridge.

"ETA on incoming ship?" Jim asked, wasting no time in getting back on task.

What Khan had mentioned about Admiral Marcus using him as a weapon was suddenly beginning to sound logical. All the things that Spock and Emily had been warning him about suddenly made sense. The Admiral, who was supposed to be dedicated to the Federation and regulations, had broken almost every rule by reviving Khan.

"Three seconds, sir," Sulu reported.

"Shields!" Jim called.

"On it!"

Emily moved quickly to help Sulu, having worked with him on multiple occasions with the helm. In a time of desperation, everyone needed to keep a level-head, especially on the bridge. They'd just risen the shields when a huge ship suddenly came out of warp before them.

Jim sucked in a breath as he realized the ship was twice the size of the Enterprise, almost dwarfing her. What really bothered him was how ominous the ship looked compared to a regulated Federation ship. It looked more like a warship than something that was meant for discovery and exploration.

"They're hailing us, sir," Uhura announced.

"On screen," Jim nodded to her, "Broadcast ship-wide for the record." Seconds later, and an image of Admiral Marcus sitting before them appeared on screen.

"Captain Kirk."

"Admiral Marcus," Jim greeted, his tone curt as he glanced at Emily. Her eyes were narrowed, telling him she believed Khan as well. Despite her earlier misgivings, she realized that Khan was right about what he had said about Marcus wanting war, especially after seeing that ship. "I wasn't expecting you. That's a hell of a ship you've got there."

"And I wasn't expecting to get word that you'd taken Harrison into custody in violation of your orders," Marcus countered.

"Well, we uh… we had to improvise when our warp core unexpectedly malfunctioned," Jim replied, not missing the knowing look in Emily's eyes. She had suspected that Marcus was behind that, and had pointed out her suspicions. At the time, he hadn't really thought it through until now. "But you already knew that, didn't you, sir?"

The expression on Marcus' face was impossible to read. But, it was plain to see that he wasn't expecting an outright accusation. Well, at least he was good at masking his confusion. If the bastard was aware of what had happened to their ship, he didn't show it. Feigning innocence was something that someone would do if they were guilty of their actions.

"I don't take your meaning," he looked back at Jim.

"Well, that's why you're here, isn't it?" Jim asked, keeping his voice steady, though it was painfully obvious why Marcus was really here, he just wanted to hear the truth while they were recording the message, "To assist with our repairs? Why else would the head of Starfleet personally come to the edge of the Neutral Zone?"

"Captain," Sulu warned, "They're scanning our ship."

"Is there something I can help you find, sir?" Jim asked, giving Marcus a hard look.

"Where is your prisoner?" Marcus got right back to business again.

"Per Starfleet regulation, I'm planning on returning Khan to Earth to stand trial," Jim replied, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

"Well, shit. You talked to him. It's exactly what I was hoping to spare you from," Marcus sighed irritably, "I took a tactical risk and I woke that bastard up, believing that his superior intelligence could help us protect ourselves from whatever came at us next. But I made a mistake. And now the blood of everybody he's killed is on my hands. So, I'm asking you, give him to me, so that I can end what I started."

Jim didn't believe him one bit. Something about the way Marcus was speaking told him that justice was the last thing on Marcus' mind.

"And what exactly would you like me to do with the rest of his crew, sir?" Jim asked, recalling the torpedoes that Admiral Marcus had been so keen for them to use on Khan. "Fire them at the Klingons, end seventy-two lives? Start a war in the process?"

" _He_ put those people in those torpedoes," Marcus defended himself, acting as though that justified what he'd done was okay, "And I simply didn't want to burden you with knowing what was inside of them. You saw what this man can do all by himself. Can you imagine what would happen if we woke up the rest of his crew?" Jim frowned at that. Marcus wasn't even aware that he'd admitted to committing the crime, "What else did he tell you? That he's a peace keeper? He's playing you, son. Don't you see that? Khan and his crew were condemned to death as war criminals. And now it is our duty to carry out that sentence before anybody else dies because of him."

Jim caught the cold look in Emily's eyes, knowing she didn't believe a single word Marcus had said, either. What Khan had said about Marcus' part in reviving him suddenly made sense. The fact that so many lives had been taken already as it was only confirmed it.

"Now, I'm going to ask you again," Marcus drawled, looking as if he was struggling to remain calm, "One last time, son. Lower your shields. Tell me where he is."

Silence followed. Jim stared the man down, not backing off if Marcus was trying to intimidate him. If he'd learned anything from his conversation with Khan, it was that Marcus wouldn't hesitate to kill the rest of his crew once Khan was in his hands.

"He's in Engineering, sir. But I'll have him moved to the transporter room right away," he sighed after thinking it through.

"I'll take it from here," Marcus nodded curtly, cutting off the transmission.

"Do not drop those shields, Mr. Sulu," Jim pointed at him immediately after.

"Aye, Captain," Sulu nodded.

"Captain," Spock began as Emily joined him, looking both relieved and worried at the same time, "given your awareness of Khan's true location in the med bay, may I know the details of your plan?"

"I told Marcus we're bringing a fugitive back to Earth," Jim explained, "That's what we're going to do." He turned to Emily, "Any chance we could go to warp?"

"Not without seriously damaging the warp core," Emily shook her head after looking over the reports Chekov had sent her. None of them looked good.

"Can we do it?" Emily chewed the bottom of her lip as she realized where he was headed with this.

"Technically, we could, but… we shouldn't," she advised him, "Plus, Admiral Marcus' ship looks advanced enough to easily keep up with us."

"Liaison Hayes does bring up a valid point," Spock remarked, earning a look of surprise from Emily. "We have never encountered a ship as large or advanced as Admiral Marcus' ship."

"If there's a will, there's a way," Jim pointed out. "Mr. Sulu, set course for Earth."

"Yes, sir," Sulu replied, frowning as he caught their conversation.

"Punch it," he ordered once the course was put in, watching from the viewscreen as the stars shot past them in a blur. "Lieutenant Uhura, contact Starfleet. Tell them we will pursuit into the Neutral Zone by unmarked Federation ship," Jim told Uhura.

Uhura shook her head, "Coms are down, sir," she reported.

"Well, isn't that convenient?" Emily asked under her breath.

She realized that Marcus was targeting their defensive system and their communications system. If they managed to somehow reach Starfleet, they could warn them about his plans. Emily had no doubt that was the last thing he wanted. War and revenge was on Marcus's mind, and he would do whatever it took to reach his goal.

"Permission to come on the bridge!" Carol half-ran into the room, startling everyone.

"Doctor Marcus," Jim nodded to her.

"He's gonna catch us and when he does, the only thing is gonna stop him destroying this ship is me," she explained. "So you have to let me talk to him."

"She's right," Emily said under her breath.

"He's been developing a ship that has warp capabilities," she nodded in agreement.

"Captain, I'm getting a reading I don't understand—"

Sulu wasn't given a chance to finish his report when the ship suddenly jolted, shaking horribly as it was fired upon so badly that it dropped out of warp. The impact of the attack had left a gaping hole on the ship, and seconds later, crew members were sucked out like a vacuum into space.

"Where are we?" Jim asked, looking at Sulu frantically, and, knowing they could use all the help they could get.

"We're 237,000 kilometers from Earth!" Sulu reported.

"Damage report!" He turned to Emily as she scanned the readings quickly.

"Weapons are down," she called, "and the bulkhead's been breached."

"Where's the damage?" Jim held his breath, knowing things could only get worse with the massive ship hovering nearby.

"The hull as well," she added, her voice grim.

"Evasive maneuvers! Get us to the Earth, right now!" Jim shouted as they took another hit.

"Captain, stop!" Carol cried, running over to him, "Everyone on this ship will die, if you don't let me speak to him. Please!"

Jim hard swallowed at that, having long-since realized that Marcus wouldn't hesitate to kill everyone to get his way.

"Uhura, hail them," he ordered.

Carol took a deep breath as she took a step in front of the viewing screen. Knowing that her father would be responsible for so many deaths, it shook her up. But, she wasn't going to let these innocent people die. Not if there was something she could do to stop it.

"Sir, it's me," she began, "It's Carol."

"What are you doing on that ship?" Marcus shouted as the viewing screen flickered back on once more.

"I heard what you said. That you made a mistake and now you're doing everything you can to fix it. But, Dad…" Her voice cracked, and tears started forming at the edge of her vision, "I… I don't believe that the man who raised me is capable of destroying a ship full of innocent of people. And… if I'm wrong about that, then you're gonna have to do it with me on board."

Silence followed. For a moment, it looked as if Marcus had considered her words. But, seconds later, he smirked, "Actually, Carol, I won't."

Carol frowned at that, not sure what he meant by that. Time seemed to slow down when lights began swirling around her. Everyone stared in alarm as they realized too late what was happening. She had tried running to escape the transport process, running towards a door before she suddenly vanished as the door opened and closed.

"Can we intercept the transport signal?" Jim asked.

"No, sir," a crewmember replied.

"Captain Kirk," Marcus began, his smirk growing wider as he looked at the man in question, "without authorization and in league with the fugitive John Harrison. Then you went rogue in enemy territory, leaving me no choice but to hunt you down and destroy you. Lock phasers."

"Wait, sir!" Jim called frantically, realizing that the entire crew would be killed for his decision, "Wait!" Marcus only cut him off.

"I'll make this quick," he said before turning to his crew, "Target all out door torpedoes on the Enterprise bridge."

* * *

 **AN: Not much else to say other than we're getting close to the end... Remember, reviews are welcome, especially when it comes to whether or not the sequel (which I've already finished) should be posted. It also encourages me to know that people are enjoying the story :) Thanks Howling2themoon, Guest and Love. Fiction. 2016 for reviewing!**

 **Guest - Thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far! I was worried about how she would affect the timeline and everything, but I really wanted to see how far I could go :) As for Spock being a typical hypocrite, yep, he definitely is one.**


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter Thirty Two**

" _I got a homesick heart but a long ways left to go, I've been doing my part but I ain't got much to show So I'm asking you to show me some forgiveness, It's all for you in my pursuit of happiness Chasing that life, moving on cause I had to prove, There ain't no life worth doing what I did to you So I'm asking you to show me some forgiveness, It's all for you in my pursuit of happiness..._ " - Happiness, NEEDTOBREATHE

* * *

"Sir, my crew was just," Jim cried out after swallowing hard, fighting back the cold realization that was slowly dawning on everyone, "was just following my orders. I take… I take full responsibility for my actions, but they were mine, and they were mine alone. If I transmit Khan's location to you now, all that I ask is that you spare them."

Emily closed her eyes as she realized just how serious this was. Marcus had a ship that was fully capable of destroying them. He wouldn't hesitate to get his way. Seeing the cold look in his eyes only confirmed what she had thought of him previously. Something about him had never rubbed her off the right way, and that feeling had never changed.

What was worse, Jim could have prevented this all from happening. She could see the guilt in his eyes when he realized that mistake. He should have listened, he should have followed Spock's advice as well as everyone else's. The thought left her mind spinning with unease as she thought of everything they could have done to prevent this from happening. Hundreds of innocent lives were at stake. Worst still, Marcus wouldn't just stop with their ship. He wanted war, and something told her that if he got his way, thousands more would pay the price.

"Please, sir. I'll do anything you want. Just let them live."

Jim wasn't one to beg. Seeing Marcus' look of surprise confirmed that. He was silent for a moment, contemplating their fate. A knot formed in Emily's stomach as she saw the look in the Admiral's eyes. She couldn't shake off the feeling that Marcus was just giving Jim a sense of false hope. Only someone cruel and cynical would think to do such a thing. And it left her fists clenching with outrage. If there was anyone who deserved getting his ass handed to him, it was Marcus. Despite Jim's best efforts at trying to prevent another tragedy, Marcus finally regained his composure, and his face returned to that steely-eyed look from before.

"That's a hell of an apology," he finally spoke again, but his next words sent shivers of dread through Emily, "But if it's any conciliation, I was never gonna spare your crew. Fire at will."

The entire bridge crew stood there in stunned silence as the viewscreen flickered off. Death was something everyone faced. It was inevitable. Emily long-since suspected that the very creatures who took her were similar to the Grim Reaper, taking what they wanted and leaving destruction in their wake. This was an entirely different feeling. She had long-since decided that if she was going to die, then at least she would be happy before her death. Meeting the people of this world had given her a new insight at life, and she realized with a start how much that meant to her.

Jim finally turned to face everyone, his expression grim as he understood the fate that Marcus had set upon them.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, eyes flicking to Emily as she gave him a sympathetic look.

 _If I die, at least it will be with my family_ , she told herself. _She would gladly die for them_.

Sulu watched the scans of the enemy ship with horror as the ship began powering up. Emily chewed the bottom of her lip, bracing herself for the blast that would follow. But, nothing happened. She tilted her head to one side as Sulu read the scans, blinking in disbelief.

"Their weapons are powered down, sir," he reported.

That in itself was a miracle. And yet, as Spock so eloquently pointed out every time, there was no such thing as a miracle.

"Enterprise, can you hear me?" Sure enough, Scotty's voice sounded through the com, and Emily breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Scotty?" Jim asked in disbelief, looking around as if expecting the Scotsman to drop from the ceiling.

"Guess what I found behind Jupiter?" Scotty chuckled.

"You're on that ship," Emily guessed, amazed that Scotty was brave enough to board an enemy ship in the first place.

"I snuck on it, seems that I just committed an act of treason against a Starfleet Admiral," Scotty explained. "I'd really like to get off this bloody ship! Now beam me out!"

"You're miracle worker!" Jim breathed out, "We're… we're a little low on power right now! Just standby! Standby!"

"What do you mean low on power?" Scotty asked, his voice full of suspicion, "What happened to the Enterprise? I'll call you back," he added after pausing for a moment.

"Spock, our ship, how is she?" Jim turned to the Vulcan.

"Our options are limited, Captain," Spock reported, "We cannot fire and we cannot flee."

"There is one option," Jim retorted, and it didn't take Emily long to figure out what he was thinking. Her mind was running through the possible scenarios, desperately wishing there was another way out of this without risking everything. "Uhura, when you get Scotty back, patch him through," he added to Uhura.

"Yes, Captain," she nodded before doing just that.

 _He's going to make a deal with Khan_ , she realized after thinking it through. Khan was the only one who had knowledge of that ship. As such, getting to the ship and finding Marcus meant making a deal with the bastard himself. Emily knew in the back of her mind that striking a deal with a madman was pure suicide. Khan would eventually betray him and make things worse. Letting him free was the worst possible decision Jim could make. But, she also knew that he wasn't going to let that small problem get the better of him.

"Do you have any idea how badly this plan of yours will end?" she asked, rolling her eyes when she caught the look he gave her.

"Look, we don't have any other choice," Jim reminded her. "He's going to kill all of us, unless I do something."

"Liaison Hayes is correct," Spock remarked as he joined them, having already guessed himself what Jim was planning. "You will meet resistance requiring personnel with advanced combat abilities and innate knowledge of that ship. This indicates that you plan to align with Khan, the very man we were sent here to destroy."

"I'm not aligning with him, I'm using him. The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Emily almost smirked at that, having heard the metaphor far too many times. "Em, you're acting Captain while I'm gone."

"You've gotta be kidding me?" Emily rolled her eyes, though the look in his eyes told her he was doing anything but.

"Captain," Spock had taken a step forward, looking equally as surprised with Jim's sudden change in plans, "It is not advisable for you to switch First Officers without—"

"What would you have done, if the roles were reversed and I was in that volcano instead of you?" Jim snapped, cutting him off.

Now, she understood where he was getting at. She knew that if the roles had been reversed, if Spock was acting Captain while Jim was detonating the bomb, he wouldn't have broken the rules. He would have left Jim there to die without hesitation. Well, maybe that wasn't entirely true. She would not have allowed Jim to die, under any circumstances, and would have argued with Spock until he got it through his thick skull that no one was left behind. Not under her watch.

"I know you're not afraid to break the rules," Jim added after giving Emily a nod of encouragement. "Hell, you were breaking them at the Academy."

She only rolled eyes at that before giving in. If anyone knew about breaking the rules, the two of them knew it the best. As much as she hated to admit it, Jim was right. Her nightly endeavors with Leonard would have more than likely received a serious reprimanding had they been reported or caught. It was just another reason she had been grateful when Kayla didn't bother reporting them, especially after seeing they were serious about continuing with or without her knowledge.

"Okay," she sighed, knowing that he was right. As much as she hated to admit it, leaving Spock in charge could put everyone's lives in danger. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to be happy about your idiotic choices."

"I wouldn't expect you to," Jim replied with a sheepish smirk, "and I expect _you_ to help her, not contradict her every move, Commander," Jim added to Spock, who nodded in agreement.

"Of course," he replied, suddenly seeming to understand why he was assigning Emily as acting Captain in his place.

For all the bickering that went on between Kirk and Emily, the pair had surprised Spock on numerous occasions. They worked well together, almost in a brotherly sister sort of bond. As for Liaison Hayes, there was still much about her that Spock didn't know. She had her reasons for keeping so quiet around him, though it was no secret that he found her attitude towards him curious. She wasn't afraid to speak her mind against him though when she knew that something had not gone her way, something of which he found infuriating.

"Emily, go check on the engines," Jim added once it had sunk in that she'd take Spock's place as acting Captain.

She nodded and took off in that direction, feeling resigned with her new position.

"I would like to request that I go with you, Captain."

"No. I need you on the bridge with Emily," Jim argued with a shake of his head. She'd taken well to the role of acting Captain on many occasions before, but not under this kind of pressure; that was exactly why he had been preparing her for the role as Captain. If anyone was more qualified for the position, it was Emily. "She's gonna need someone who can give her advice."

"I cannot allow you to do this. It is my function aboard this ship to advise you on making the wisest decisions possible, something I firmly believe you are incapable of doing in this moment," Spock retorted, sounding both exasperated and concerned that Jim was jumping to reckless decisions once again.

"You're right! What I'm about to do, it doesn't make any sense, it's not logical, it is a gut feeling!" Jim snapped, suddenly angry with both himself and Spock. "I have no idea what I'm supposed to do. I only know what I can do. The Enterprise and her crew needs someone in that chair who knows what they're doing."

"And that someone is Emily?" Spock tilted his head to one side, still looking skeptical.

There was a lot about Liaison Hayes that he didn't trust. She was not from this world, and therefore, it only made sense that she should not be trusted. Jim swallowed hard when he realized that the feelings were entirely mutual. She never put a lot of trust into Spock even during their missions, but she respected him enough not to make a scene out of anything that went wrong when they worked together.

"You're damn right," he nodded confidently, "Spock, I've never met anyone who's more willing to give their life for the protection of their family. And that family is us." He wasn't willing to admit that there was another reason behind placing Emily as acting Captain. By keeping her here, if anything happened to him, she and the rest of the crew could possibly use the escape pods and flee the area before Marcus fired back. "Just promise me you'll keep them all safe."

Spock swallowed at that, knowing that what Jim had said about Liaison Hayes was true.

"I will."

Jim nodded and clasped him over the shoulder, relieved to have the two on his side, "Thank you."

…

Jim stormed into the medbay once he was finished talking with Spock, needing to reach Khan before Marcus was able to get his ship back up and running. They only had a short window of opportunity before the crew on the enemy ship figured out the source of their problem.

"Tell me everything you know about that ship," he ordered after reaching Khan, not bothering to give the man a chance to speak.

"Dreadnought Class," Khan listed, looking mildly impressed with the way Jim was asserting his authority, "two times the size, three times the speed. Advanced weaponry, modified for minimal crew. Unlike most Federation vessels, it's built solely for combat."

"I will do everything I can to make you answer for what you did," Jim swore, "But right now I need your help."

"In exchange for what?" Khan smirked, amused that Jim would flat-out admit that he needed help in the first place.

Jim's jaw clenched as he caught the look, feeling that twist in his stomach like he had after begging Marcus to spare his crew. He hated having to beg for anything. But the crew didn't deserve whatever fate Marcus had in mind for them. They hadn't asked to be dragged into this mess, and it was entirely his fault for putting them in harm's way. If anyone could change the outcome of their future, he was more than determined to do just that.

"You said you'd do anything for your crew. I can guarantee their safety."

"Captain," he laughed mockingly, "you can't even guarantee the safety of your own crew."

Jim looked away at that, covering the fact that those words had stung more than he'd let on. He finally looked over to where McCoy was sitting at a table with a small ball of brown fur in front of him, a syringe in his hands.

"Bones, what are you doing with that tribble?" he asked.

"The tribble's dead," McCoy replied without missing a beat, "I'm injecting Khan platelets into the deceased tissue of necrotic host. Khan's cells regenerate like nothing I've ever seen and I wanna know why."

Jim nodded at that before looking back at Khan, "You coming with me, or not?"

…

Things in Engineering weren't looking good. Emily had found Chekov working on the system mainframe while gas and steam seemed to leak in all areas. Needless to say, Engineering had become even more chaotic since her last visit. He'd reassured her that he was working on fixing the problem, but so far, nothing had come up. Running diagnostics on whatever happened was only half of the problem. They still needed to figure out what had caused the source of the problem before fixing it. And there was only so much they could do in such a short window of opportunity.

"Captain," Spock greeted her once she had reached the bridge. She returned the greeting with a nod, still finding the new title unreal as she looked across to the viewing screen. She frowned after seeing the enemy ship still floating in front of them, looking ominous as ever. "With your permission, I would like to establish contact with New Vulcan."

Emily blinked in surprise at that. When Jim told her about what had happened on Delta Vega, she had little idea Spock knew about his counterpart, as well. Which begged her the question of what Spock Prime would think of her when they met face-to-face, if that was even a possibility.

"Granted," she nodded in agreement, sensing Spock planned on finding more information about Khan and the people who were locked in those torpedoes.

"Lieutenant," Spock looked to Uhura, "from our current position, is it possible to establish contact with the New Vulcan?"

"I'll do my best," Uhura nodded.

"Thank you."

Emily sucked in a deep breath as she took a seat in the Captain's chair. The whole situation made her feel uneasy, especially since she didn't have nearly enough experience for the position. Yes, Jim had given her the position during some of their missions, but this was something entirely different. The crew was in danger, and she wasn't going to let them pay for any mistakes she made.

"Mr. Sulu," she began while looking at the enemy ship again, "What's the status on the other ship?"

"Their systems are still off-line. I'm aligning our ship now," Sulu replied with a shake of his head.

"Good," she swallowed nervously. She knew it couldn't have been easy to navigate the ship around all that debris, and would have to give Sulu some major credit for getting around with such precision. She hadn't missed the way Spock was watching her every move, as if expecting the worst. "Jim?" she called through the com to the trash exhaust where Jim and Khan were getting set up in their suits, "Are you in position?"

"Affirmative," Jim replied, "Scotty, how are we doing over there?"

"Captain, I wish I had better news," Scotty's voice sounded through the com, "They blocked our access to the ship's computer. They'll have full weapons in three minutes. That means next time I won't be able to stop them destroying the Enterprise, standby."

"Liaison – I mean," Sulu began uneasily, "Captain Hayes—"

"It's fine, Sulu," she reassured him after rubbing her temple, hating the fact that everyone had to sound so formal and stiff around the Captain, "Just call me Emily."

"Emily," he corrected, looking slightly relieved with that suggestion, "our trash chute is aimed at access port 101A on the other ship."

"Jim, did you hear that?" Emily called through the com.

"Copy that," Jim answered, "Scotty?"

"I'm in the hangar, give me a minute," Scotty replied in a rushed voice, sounding as if he'd been running a marathon, "I'm running, standby. Whoa, whoa, whoa. I do not know, Captain. This door is very wee… I'm mean, you know, small. It's four square meters' tops. It's gonna be like, jumping out of a moving car, off a bridge into a shot glass."

"I've done it before," Jim replied, and Emily had no doubt he had, "Yeah, I was vertical. We jumped onto a… uh…" Jim paused, and Emily could only guess what sort of look Khan was giving him at the moment, "it doesn't matter. Scotty…"

"Did you find the manual override?" Khan spoke up this time, and Emily resisted the urge to roll her eyes at that.

"The manual override, Scotty?" Jim repeated a second later, trying to maintain control of the situation, and make himself look less like a fool in front of Khan.

"Not yet," Scotty replied through the com, "Not yet."

"Captain," Spock put in, "before you launch, you should be aware, there is a considerable debris field between our ships."

"Spock, not now," Jim muttered in exasperation.

"Scotty, are we good yet?" Emily asked.

She rolled her eyes at Spock's pointing out the obvious. They were running out of time. Between having to move the Enterprise into position and everyone preparing for the space-jump, Emily knew that it wouldn't be long before Marcus had the ship back up and running. They were nothing more than sitting targets for the massive ship that loomed ahead of them ominously. Emily swallowed hard at the thought of what would happen once their ship regained power.

"It's not easy!" Scotty snapped, "Just give me two seconds, alright? You mad bastards!"

"Em," she nearly leaped out of her skin at that sound of Leonard's voice, hardly noticing his arrival until he crouched down beside her. "Tell me this is gonna work."

"This is Jim, we're talking about, Leonard," she reminded him with a pointed look, "He's done the impossible, before."

Leonard threw her an apprehensive look as he took hold of her hand and squeezed it gently. She knew he was worried about Jim. Hell, he was worried about the whole damn crew making it out of this, alive. Knowing what lay ahead of them only added to that worry.

"Yeah, and that's what worries me," he muttered under his breath.

"I have neither the information or the confidence to do so, Doctor," Spock spoke up after reaching them, clearly aware that neither were backing down, despite the fact that he had filed a report against their relationship.

"Shut up, Spock," she muttered around the same time Leonard had grumbled about how comforting his remark was.

"Okay, Captain. Standby," Scotty said through the com, "Come on. Come on. Come on. Yes! Okay, okay. I've sent it to open the door."

"Spock, pull the trigger," Jim ordered seconds later.

"Yes, Captain," Spock reached his station, putting in the commands, "Launching activation sequence in three… two… one…"

The viewscreen had shifted as the two were launched into space, once again, with two small dots representing them on the large monitor. Emily swallowed nervously as the small blips on the screen represented the field of debris surrounding them. One mistake could cost them their lives. Though, she had no doubt Khan would make it out of this alive.

"Kirk is headed for collision at point three-two," Sulu reported.

"Jim, there's debris directly ahead," Emily called through the com, hoping Jim would catch that in time.

"Copy that," Jim replied at the moment the blinking dots had reached the field of debris.

Emily's hands were clutching the chair for dear life as she watched. She knew Jim well enough that he could take care of himself, but going off course was dangerous, especially given the short window of opportunity they had.

"Whoa, Jim! You're way off course!" Leonard reported.

"I know, I know! I can see that!" Jim snapped back.

"Use your display compass, Jim," Emily informed him, "You must correct precisely thirty-seven point two-four- three degrees."

"Got it. I'm working my way back," Jim reassured her, "Scotty, are you going to be ready with that door? Right?"

Silence answered his question. Emily frowned at that, having already guessed that Scotty ran into one of the crew members on the enemy's ship.

"Mr. Scott, where are you?" she called, but still got nothing.

"Dammit," Jim swore just as a piece of debris had rushed past the blinking dot representing him.

"Captain, what is it?" Spock asked.

"My helmet was hit. Uhura, tell me you have Mr. Scott back?" Jim replied, ignoring the obvious danger that he was in once again.

"Not yet. I'm still working on the signal. His communicator is working, I don't know why he's not responding," Uhura reported.

"Imminent collision detected."

"Khan use evasive action, there is debris directly ahead," Emily ordered, knowing that no matter how much she hated the man for what he had done, he should at least follow through on the space-jump.

"I see it," came the passive response.

Emily let out a rush of breath after realizing that Khan's signal had gone dark. Wherever the bastard went, it was impossible to pick up the signal due to the field of debris. Keeping an eye on Khan was critical during this mission. After seeing what he was capable of back on Kronos, she had no doubt he would survive being hurtled into the vast emptiness of space.

"Mr. Sulu, did we lose Khan?" Spock asked, almost sounding hopeful.

"I don't know, Commander. I'm having trouble tracking him in all this debris," Sulu replied.

"Was Khan hit?" Jim asked.

"We're trying to find him now," Emily informed him.

"Captain, you need to adjust your target destination to one-eight-three by four-seven-three degrees," Sulu instructed.

"My display is dead, I'm flying blind," Jim announced, and Emily only rolled her eyes at that. Of course he would be.

"Captain, without your display compass, hitting your target destination is mathematically impossible," Spock pointed out.

"Spock, if I get back, we really need to talk about your bedside manner."

"Emily, he's not going to make it," Sulu frowned after reading the scanner carefully.

"He will," Emily snapped, willing herself to believe that whenever there was a will, there was a way. And Jim Kirk always seemed to find a way out of any messy situation. She leaned back against the chair, silently praying that if anyone was watching over them, they'd make it out of this alive, "Do we know where Khan is? His display is still fully functioning, right?"

"Affirmative," Khan replied for her over the com, "My display is still functioning. I see you Kirk, you're two hundred meters ahead at my one o'clock. Cut to your left, a few degrees and follow me."

"Scotty, we're getting close. Do you copy?" Jim shouted without warning, "Do you copy, Scotty?!"

"If you can hear us, Mr. Scott, open the door in ten… nine…"

Spock took the liberty of standing on the other side of the Captain's chair. For once, Emily wasn't offended – if anything, she was grateful for the support he seemed to provide by just being there. She was terrified of everything going horribly wrong while she was in charge. She hated the idea of being put in control over a situation where lives were at stake. And Spock seemed to sense that as he moved closer, aware of the tension running through her.

"Scotty!" Jim cried through the com, this time sounding worried as he realized Scotty still hadn't heard them.

"…eight… seven…"

"Scotty, open the door!" Emily cried this time, feeling her heart race with dread.

"Mr. Scott, where are you?" Jim shouted.

"…six…"

"Eighteen hundred meters," one of the crew members was counting down, not helping with the increasing anxiety everyone else was feeling. "Sixteen hundred meters."

"Scotty, where are you?" Jim repeated.

"…three…"

"Do you copy, Scotty? Please!"

"…two…"

"Scotty, open the damn door!" Emily pleaded, knowing they only had one shot to do this right.

"Open the door!" Jim yelled.

"Mr. Scott, now!" Even Spock was shouting as the emotional turmoil hit them all, the fear of losing Jim, and everything else weighing down on their shoulders.

Suddenly, there was a mechanical sound, as if a door had been opened, followed by a suctioning sound of wind and shouts. For a moment, Emily was afraid the door had opened too late.

"Welcome aboard."

* * *

 **AN: Thanks Howling2themoon and Fiction. Lover. 2016 for reviewing! You guys are great :)**


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter Thirty Three**

A sigh of relief escaped from Emily's lungs as she sagged back into the chair, trying to calm the frantic beating of her heart. That had been far, far too close for comfort. Between losing Admiral Pike, almost losing Leonard to that torpedo, she wasn't sure she could afford this much anxiety at once. She knew that Jim would never stop jumping into reckless decisions like that; it was in his nature to put himself in danger. But, that didn't stop her from caring, or getting angry whenever he could have just as easily avoided the situation. Though he would never admit it out loud, the feelings were entirely mutual.

"Good to see you, Scotty," Jim sighed in relief after a few seconds had passed.

The blinking dots representing Jim and Khan had disappeared the moment they had arrived in the enemy's ship, which was why Emily had feared the worst until Scotty spoke up.

"Who is that?" Scotty asked.

"Khan, Scotty, Scotty, Khan," Jim introduced them quickly.

"Hello," Scotty answered hesitantly, as if put off by Khan's sudden appearance.

"They'll know we're here," Khan got right to the point, ignoring Scotty's greeting, "I know the best way to the bridge."

 _Oh, I bet you do_ , Emily thought with a roll of her eyes. Something told her Khan knew more about the enemy ship than Marcus himself did. What worried her though, was what Khan would do to Jim and Scotty once they had reached the bridge. She hoped Jim knew what he was getting himself into. She cut off the com at the moment they had started making their way to the bridge. She didn't want the crew getting distracted; plus, they were still waiting for that transmission from New Vulcan, as Spock had requested.

She knew that Spock wanted to discuss matters with his counterpart. If anyone had information on Khan, it was Spock Prime. She just hoped that the older version of Spock would be willing to relent said information. She understood that there were risks in relenting information about the future. Such information could just as easily cause a shift in the timeline, thus ruining it once again. But she also realized that any advantage they had at that point was better than nothing. Khan was willing to do whatever it took to claim victory. And she suspected that he wouldn't just stop with Earth or any planet involved with the Federation.

"Uhura, have you heard anything new from New Vulcan?" she asked, turning to the Lieutenant in question.

"The transmission's just come in," Uhura nodded.

"On screen, please," Spock called.

"Standby," Uhura reported, replacing the image on the viewscreen with that of what appeared to be an older Vulcan who looked surprisingly similar to Spock.

Emily rose an eyebrow in surprise at the sight, having seen Leonard Nimoy, the actor who had portrayed Spock, in person before. Any fan of the original series would have been giddy with excitement at seeing him on the screen like this. She could still remember Julia squealing like a fangirl when she mentioned that he'd made an appearance during both of the newer movies. To her, he just looked exactly like what he was: An older version of Spock.

"Mr. Spock," the older Vulcan greeted, seeing the younger Spock first.

"Mr. Spock," Spock gave a nod in response.

Spock Prime quirked an eyebrow as he noticed Emily for the first time, who was struggling to keep on a straight face. It was difficult trying to keep things at a professional standpoint. She had a feeling he would know she wasn't from this world, given that she wouldn't have been from his timeline. The thought suddenly left her wondering whether or not it was right to continue interfering with everyone's lives. She never belonged in this world to begin with.

She had never talked about it with anyone before. The same fear she felt knowing that she could be interfering with someone's life left her mind churning. As much as she hated to admit it, Professor Kobbs' words echoed in the back of her mind.

"Liaison Hayes, it is a pleasure to finally see you," he gave her the slightest nods.

She hadn't missed the looks of surprise everyone gave her though, she wasn't all that surprised Spock Prime knew of her existence. Jim had likely explained the situation to him, if he hadn't guessed what was happening from the beginning. She almost wished that Jim would have kept that information to himself. Since there was no existence of an Emily Hayes in his world, it only made sense that Spock Prime would reach the conclusion that she wasn't from around this world.

"Likewise, sir," she returned the gesture.

"I will be brief," Spock began after Emily had given him a nod of approval. She wasn't even sure where to begin with Spock Prime so, it was best to leave the questions to someone who did, "In your travels, did you ever encounter a man named Khan?"

The way Spock Prime's expression had changed as he fell silent told Emily that his answer wasn't one they were hoping for. In a sense, Khan reminded her of Loki from the Marvel Universe. They had the same ego, and attitude towards people. But, there was one major difference. She suspected Khan was far more intelligent than he let on. To top things off, he most likely had a hidden agenda after Marcus revived him, which only added to the worry that he wasn't who he'd led Jim to believing he was.

"As you know, I have made a vow never to give you information that could potentially alter your destiny," Spock Prime explained, his brow furrowed as he gazed at them thoughtfully. "Your presence alone has altered the very destiny of the Enterprise crew, Liaison Hayes."

Emily stiffened at that. She felt all eyes on her once again, and swallowed nervously as she realized what Spock Prime meant. She was never meant to be part of this. She shouldn't have been here in the first place, but somehow, she was. It wasn't until feeling Leonard shift uneasily beside her that she noticed he had been watching the screen carefully, and Spock Prime had been watching _his_ reaction carefully.

"She's part of the crew as much as anyone else," Leonard stepped in.

Of course, he didn't really sound all that surprised at seeing an older version of Spock. Hell, after everything else that had happened over the last five years, just about anything was possible. If Spock Prime was surprised by the fact that he'd stood up for her, he didn't show it. Instead, he looked back at Emily as she sucked in a breath knowingly.

"He's right." If Leonard wasn't surprised before, he was now. He wasn't expecting her to agree with the older Vulcan. After everything that had happened, she had earned her place among the crew. But that didn't mean she had any right or say in the matter. She was after all just a stranger to this world. "I don't belong in this world. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't give my life to protect my family."

Spock Prime only blinked at that, before giving the slightest nods of approval. She would have given her life to protect this crew. Willingly. She knew that it wouldn't have changed anything, had something like that happened.

"In that sense, you are very brave. However, your path is yours to walk, and yours alone. Mr. Spock, that being said, Khan Noonien Singh is the most dangerous adversary the Enterprise ever faced."

Taking in a deep breath, Emily wasn't really surprised with that explanation, but there had to be some way of stopping him.

"Did you defeat him?" Spock asked.

"At a great cost," Spock Prime nodded, "yes."

"How?" Emily asked this time.

…

After a long discussion about how they had defeated Khan in the past, Emily wasn't sure what to do. She knew what the right thing to do was, but her mind was trying to run over the multiple scenarios that would follow. She doubted Khan would fall for the trick of lowering the shields while Jim, Carol and Scotty were still aboard. This was why Jim should have assigned Spock as acting Captain. At least, with his knowledge, he would have already thought of something.

Her thoughts went back to what Spock Prime had said about her not belonging in this world. She hadn't missed the looks of surprise flashing in everyone's eyes at that moment. Or, the fact that no one had brought up the uncomfortable subject while Leonard was around. He was already annoyed enough that she hadn't defended herself in front of Spock Prime. She understood why he wasn't happy, but that didn't make the situation any better.

She knew that not being from this world had serious consequences. Hell, Spock had explained that was why he filed a report in the first place. She of all people should have known what would happen if she got into any relationship with anyone from this world. The last thing she wanted was to hurt Leonard for those very reasons.

"Captain, if I may?" Spock inquired, and she looked at him in surprise, "I believe there is something we can do." She simply nodded in approval, knowing full well there wasn't many options she could provide at the moment, "Lieutenant, I need you to assemble all senior medical and engineering staff in the weapons bay."

"Alright," Uhura nodded, looking a bit surprised by his request.

"Why the weapons bay?" Emily asked while eyeing the Vulcan curiously as he gestured for Leonard to join them.

"Doctor McCoy, you inadvertently activated a torpedo, could you replicate the process?" he asked.

"Why the hell would I want to do that?" Leonard scoffed.

After what had happened on the asteroid, Emily couldn't necessarily blame him for not wanting any part in the torpedoes. He could have easily been killed if Carol hadn't acted quickly. She glanced at Leonard self-consciously after noticing his face morph from a look of annoyance to one of disbelief.

"Can you, or can you not?"

"Dammit, man. I'm a doctor, not a torpedo technician!"

"The fact that your doctor is precisely why I need you to listen very carefully."

…

Emily frowned as she stood on the bridge, watching the viewscreen as Marcus' ship hovered in front of them. She wasn't expecting to find Spock standing beside her, looking equally concerned after the long and heated discussion they'd had with Leonard. He hadn't been happy when Spock addressed the issue regarding the torpedoes, and understandably so. She understood where Spock was getting at with the weapons, though. Moving the bodies out of the torpedoes meant that they had an advantage over Khan, and she had no doubt Spock would utilize that advantage.

"He's right," she sighed, thinking back to what Spock Prime had said. Spock rose an eyebrow at that, having already guessed what he was referring to. "I've always felt like an outsider. In my world and here. When I woke up in that hospital, I thought this was just a dream."

"Given the circumstances of your arrival, your belief does not surprise me," Spock replied, eyeing her thoughtfully for the first time. What Spock Prime had said earlier did surprise him, though. "Doctor McCoy is right. You are part of this crew, as everyone else."

She stiffened in surprise when Spock said that. A year ago, she wouldn't have believed a single word. Now, she was beginning to doubt herself once again. She tried casting the uneasy thoughts aside as she made her way to the Captain's chair, refusing to sit down as she acknowledged the crew with a nod. They needed a Captain who was confident. She didn't feel entirely confident right at that moment, and her stomach twisted in a knot as she thought of what would happen if things didn't go as planned.

"Sulu," she turned to the helmsman, "Can you scan for Jim?"

"Our sensor array is down," Sulu replied with a shake of his head, "I can't find him."

Emily felt her blood run cold when the viewscreen flickered back on, revealing Khan while holding Jim, looking a little battered, at phaser point. The fact that his phaser was pressed against Jim only made her fists clench with fury. She hadn't trusted Khan one bit when Jim said he wanted to strike a deal with the madman. Seeing him now only confirmed that he would likely betray them. Of course, Khan had likely foreseen whatever attempts Jim made at halting his betrayal and retaliated in kind.

"I'm going to make this very simple for you," Khan began, his voice cold and calculating as usual.

"Captain!" Spock exclaimed as Emily cursed under her breath, having already guessed Khan would try pulling off some kind of trick.

"Your crew for my crew."

"You betrayed us," Spock glared at Khan.

Emily's chest tightened with worry as she spotted Carol in the background, laying on the ground while clutching her leg. Scotty was sprawled out on the floor beside her, likely knocked out the moment Khan was given the chance. She should have known that the bastard would betray them. Worst still was seeing Carol in pain, and Scotty knocked out. The only consolation she had was that Khan hadn't killed them. Yet. She had no doubt that Khan wasn't above killing, especially after his attacks on both the London Archives and Daystrom.

"Oh, you are smart, Mr. Spock," Khan spoke mockingly.

"Emily, don't—" Khan hit Jim in the back of his head with the phaser before he could finish his warning, and Emily's eyes narrowed with hate as she glared at Khan.

"Liaison Hayes, give me my crew."

After their discussion with Spock Prime, there was no way in hell Emily would give up that easily.

"And exactly what would you do when you get them?" she demanded, keeping her voice steady, despite the situation they were in.

"Continue the work we were doing before we were banished," Khan sneered.

"Which as I understand it involves the mass genocide of any being you find to be less than superior," Spock retorted before Emily could open her mouth, having already heard what Khan and his people were capable of.

"Shall I destroy you, Mr. Spock, or perhaps your _acting_ Captain?"

A shiver of rage crawled through Emily as she glared back, that familiar spark of hatred suddenly returning. This man was responsible for killing innocent people in London. He had killed Admiral Pike, and injured both Scotty and Carol, along with Jim. She'd watched far too many people die in the short time she was in this world. She wasn't going to let the bastard get away with committing so many murders. Her jaw clenched as she prepared to speak, only for Spock to interrupt her knowingly.

"We have no transporter capabilities," he cut in, having noticed the comeback she was about to fire at Khan.

He could see the fiery spirit in her that he had seen upon their mission in the Narada. Liaison Hayes was not like the other crew members, as much as Spock hated to admit it. And that fact alone was why he wouldn't allow Khan to get to her.

"Fortunately, mine are perfectly functional. Drop your shields."

"How do we know you won't just attack us the moment shields are lowered?" Emily retorted, and the term, 'if looks could kill', was eloquently painted within her eyes.

"Well, let me make myself clear than, Liaison Hayes," Khan sneered, "Firstly, I will kill your Captain to demonstrate my resolve, then if yours holds, I will have no choice but to kill you and your entire crew. If you destroy our ship, you will also destroy your own people. Your crew requires oxygen to survive, mine does not. I will target your life support systems located behind the aft nacelle. And after every single person aboard your ship suffocates, I will walk over your cold corpses to recover my people. Now, shall we begin?"

Emily swallowed hard, knowing that Khan was telling the truth. She glanced at Spock, not missing the look he was giving her.

"Lower shields," she sighed, suddenly wishing that they _had_ fired those torpedoes on him when they had the chance.

"A wise choice, Hayes." She glowered when he turned and kicked Jim, as if to prove a point, before heading to the controls to command transport for all seventy two torpedoes. "I see all seventy-two torpedoes are still in their tubes. If they're not mine, I will know it."

"Vulcans do not lie," Spock reminded him, knowing his words would mean more than that of a mere human, "The torpedoes are yours."

"Now, give us back _our_ crew," Emily snapped. Khan only chuckled at that, finding her reaction all the more amusing.

"As you wish," he replied, and they watched as Jim, Carol and Scotty, who had just started waking up, disappeared in swirling lights.

"Sulu?" she turned to the helmsman warily.

"They're on board," Sulu reassured her.

"Of course," Khan smirked, the smug look on his face making Emily wish she could punch it off, "After all, no ship should go down without her Captain."

"He's locking phasers on us!" Sulu reported frantically as alarms began to go off, Khan ending the transmission shortly after.

"Where are the others?" Emily asked, knowing they'd need medical attention right away.

"The brig!"

"Right." Emily turned to Spock, who seemed to understand what was going on through her mind. "Spock, I'm putting you in charge as Captain," she told him, knowing the Vulcan would have a better sense of knowing what to do than she would any day. "I need to check in with Engineering."

Spock was barely able to nod in agreement when she made a run for it, trying desperately to shut out the panic that quickly followed.

…

She tried not to wince as she crashed into a wall as the ship not only jolted, but started leaning as the gravity that had cut off the power grid failed. She stole a quick glance out the window, realizing with horror that the ship was slowly being caught in Earth's gravitational pull. Her heart was racing with dread as she realized the only reason for this to happen was because the warp core had gone offline.

Emily hadn't missed the fact that the evacuation alarms went off, but she kept pushing herself towards Engineering, knowing that something needed to be done. She had gotten to know the ship well enough that she could reach any place like the back of her hand. The problem was, with the power offline, the crew couldn't even evacuate if they were given a chance.

Once she had reached Engineering, she spotted Chekov desperately trying to get some sort of program into the controls. He was trying to find out what was wrong. Guilt suddenly swept over her as she realized that poor Chekov had been left in charge of all this chaos. No wonder he looked so stressed, especially since she was the most qualified of all to handle the situation.

"Chekov! Pavel!" she called after running to him, prying him away from the controls and spinning him around to face her, "I've got this, you leave the ship now while you can!"

"But—"

"Now!" she snapped.

She shoved him away as she reached the controls, not bothering to check and make sure he had run as she ran through the programs on the controls. Her heart raced with dread as she struggled to find out the exact problem, or they'd take too long finding out what was wrong with the core. She knew the longer they took to find the source of the problem, the higher chances they had of losing everything. It was just a matter of finding out the right code and diagnosing whatever had caused the malfunction.

Her heart sank when she realized where the problem was. The report that came up read that the core was misaligned. And worse still, there was only one way to reconnect it.

"Em!" Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw Jim and Scotty running towards her, Jim pulling her in a tight hug.

"Scotty, the core's misaligned," she explained after pulling away.

Scotty's mouth opened and closed for a couple of seconds, as if he found the whole idea ridiculous, until he looked at her readings.

"Oh, no! No! No! No!" he cried, his eyes widening with horror as he realized she was right.

"What?" Jim shook his head in confusion.

"The housings are misaligned, there's no way we can redirect the power," Scotty explained.

"And that means?"

"We can't redirect the power," Emily informed him, rubbing the back of her head as she realized there was one way of realigning the core.

"The ship's dead," Scotty said, his voice grim and his expression solemn, "She's gone, sir."

"No, she's not."

Emily hadn't missed the look in Jim's eyes. It meant knocking the core back into place, dealing with intense radiation levels, climbing, and brute strength. It also meant that no matter what, someone was going to die. Her jaw clenched at the realization, as she began to understand what it meant. If anyone was going down into the warp core, it was her. She couldn't let Jim or anyone else go through that. Her mind was already made up while Scotty continued trying to explain to both of them why this was a terrible idea.

"If we go in there, we'll die. Will you listen to me? What the hell are you doing?" Scotty demanded as Jim wrenched his shoulder free.

"I'm opening the door," Jim replied, voice full of determination, "I'm going in."

"That door is there to stop us from getting irradiated," Scotty tried explaining, looking at Emily as if expecting her to knock some sense into the Captain's head. "We'll be dead before we made the climb."

Jim fell silent for a moment.

"You're not making the climb," he declared.

He spun around quickly and punched Scotty across the face before placing him gently in a chair as the straps wrapped around him. He turned back to the door to try and stop Emily as well, only to run straight into her fist.

"Neither are you," she whispered.

* * *

 **AN: Ah, the drama rises. I've been waiting for this chapter... I don't know why, I just don't know what to add to this... other than the fact that I'm watching the newest Ghost Adventures Halloween special :D Thanks alylynn12, Howling2themoon and Love. Fiction. 2016 for reviewing!**

 **alylynn12 - I think this chapter answers that question ;) I've got my own reasons for doing this, though. I'm glad you're enjoying it so much, I was worried about what readers would think, since I've only watched the Reboot series...**

 **Howling2themoon - Thanks :D I'm glad you enjoyed it so much.**


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter Thirty Four**

" _I see you dressed in white, Every wrong made right I see a rose in bloom, At the sight of you You're irreplaceable, unmistakable, incomparable, Darling, it's beautiful, I see it all in you_..." - Priceless, The Film Ballad, for King and Country

* * *

Her teeth ground together as she climbed through the small tunnel, wincing at the small space that felt as if it was closing in on her. Breathing had become difficult, almost as if a tightness had formed in her chest that seemed to rise in her throat. Emily knew that it was the radiation that filled the chamber. It took every ounce of effort to continue on, her breathing becoming more ragged with each step until she had spotted the housings for the core.

The core itself was even more damaged than she had expected, and it would take a miracle to repair it. She could always punch it back into alignment. But, that would only likely break her hand if she even considered it. She didn't bother hiding the fear that threatened to overwhelm her as she made the climb towards the device. Death was something everyone faced sooner or later. But, the thought had never occurred to her until now.

Part of her had always known that no matter what, the people in this world would move on if she died. They would move on, and eventually forget she even existed. Because really, Spock Prime had been right all along. She didn't belong here. She'd grown up in a world where this was nothing more than a movie that people watched for pure entertainment. The people she had gotten to know in this world, they were real; they had raw emotions, personal beliefs, everything that would put the people of her world to shame. And that was why she couldn't let anything happen to them. The sudden realization of knowing who they were and what they were capable of made her understand just how naive she had been.

Her thoughts suddenly drifted to her family. Would they have been proud, knowing that she was about to die? Would they even care? Something in the back of her mind told her they wouldn't. Her mother and father had always seen her sister as the family pride and joy. She was just the third-wheel, and they treated her as such. Hell, they'd just find some reason to blame her for getting everyone into this mess. Thinking about her parents only brought back painful memories. She knew now that waking up in this world had been one of the best things that could have happened to her, even if it had begun at a rocky start.

Then, she thought of the Enterprise crew, who she could call her family. In the back of her mind, she always wondered if their lives would go back to normal had she somehow returned to her world. She wouldn't hesitate to die for them. After all, her life would not have been the same had it not been for them.

And, once again, her thoughts drifted back to the first time she had met both Jim and Leonard in that shuttle. At the time, she hadn't thought much of them, or how significant both would be in her life. She knew what this would do to Leonard, in particular. But, she also knew that he would move on, eventually. She couldn't let him die, or Jim, or anyone else for that matter. She was determined to make sure that didn't happen on her watch.

Her chest was burning in pain as she finally reached the housings, holding tight to the beam before she kicked off and used them as leverage. That familiar sensation of a thousand needles piercing through her skin only made the pain that much more intense as she crashed into the metal with as much force as she could produce. She kept climbing back up, ignoring the pain stabbing through her body until she finally managed to kick the metal back into place. The force of doing so sent a shockwave through the room, causing her to fall onto her shoulder with a cry of pain seconds later. She couldn't breathe, tears were starting to fill her eyes as she heard the rumbling sound of the Enterprise, signaling that it had finally stabilized its fall.

It took everything she had to climb back through the tunnel. She was pretty sure she had broken her shoulder as well, wincing as she reached the glass door leading into Engineering. She was surprised she had lasted as long as she had. One look through the glass was enough to fill her with relief. The Enterprise was safe. The crew was safe. That was all that mattered, to her. Because, in the end, her life wasn't worth it.

…

The moment Jim had finally come to was when he realized something was wrong. He'd heard Scotty shouting frantically to the bridge for Spock to join them. And when he finally saw why, he felt as if someone had punched him in the gut again.

"Mr. Scott," Spock acknowledged the Scotsman through the com.

"Sir, you better get down here," Scotty informed him, his voice grim. "Captain, you better hurry, I don't know how much time she has left."

"Bones should be here," Jim swallowed at that.

He already knew the doctor wouldn't take well to what had happened. What she had done not only saved the entire crew, but the ship as well. But, at what cost? Scotty only shook his head, not wanting to face the infamous wrath of Bones, especially given the state of the situation.

Jim reached the glass and knelt down, desperately wishing it had been the other way around as he saw her now. She lay crumpled on the floor, her skin paler than ever, the scars of what had happened more defined. A shiver swept through him as he thought of what she had endured to receive those scars. She'd only recently opened up about what had happened to her before she arrived at Starfleet. Seeing them now only left him realizing just how vulnerable she was.

"Emily!" he shouted, hoping that it wasn't too late already. "Emily, come on, wake up!" he slammed his fists against the glass, not caring whether or not it broke. The moment she had started to stir was when he banged on the glass harder, "Emily, wake up!"

Her eyes finally snapped open, and she struggled to reach the glass door before collapsing in front of it, resting her head as she found enough strength to look up at him.

"Hey," she croaked. Jim let out a sharp breath at that.

"Hey?" he repeated, struggling to keep his own emotions in check as he realized that she was dying. "Hey? What the hell is wrong with you?"

She didn't even have the strength to make a comeback. She winced as Spock finally arrived, the Vulcan staring at her in alarm as he realized who had saved the ship.

"Open it!" Spock shouted.

The only thing he could do was stare at her as he tried to make sense of why she would go out of her way to risk everything. Jim closed his eyes at that, realizing that this was who she was. She was more than a friend. She was part of his family, part of his crew and, someone who cared enough to give a shit about him when no one else would. The pain she was in left him wishing that he could have taken her place. Especially after everything she had already been through.

"Can't," she wheezed, her face scrunching with pain as her eyes closed.

"Come on, Emily," Jim pleaded, realizing that losing her was worse than he could have imagined. "Think about Bones, what's he gonna say when he finds out?"

"Why not?" Spock asked, looking between Jim and Scotty.

"The decontamination process is not complete," Scotty explained, his voice solemn as he shook his head, "you'd flood the whole compartment. The door's locked, sir."

"How is she?" Emily blinked, looking at Jim at the mention of McCoy.

"You saved her," Jim reassured her, "And the crew."

"Good," she nodded at that, wincing as if even that was too much effort.

"Why'd you do it?" Jim found himself asking, realizing they only had a short amount of time left.

"'Cause, it wouldn't have mattered if I died," she explained in shaky breaths, trying to give smile. "Not like I belonged here in the first place… I couldn't just let you or anyone else die."

Jim sucked in a breath at that. She couldn't have let him die. And, something told him she was referring to McCoy as well, along with the rest of the crew. He felt a lump form in the back of his throat as he watched her growing weaker with every second. His heart wrenched with pity at the sight. He could only imagine what this was going to do to everyone she was close to if he already felt this torn with the idea of losing her.

"You're not afraid to die," he guessed.

Again, Emily nodded.

"Happens to everyone eventually," she shrugged.

The moment she had said that was when Jim nodded in understanding.

"Spock?" he called to the Vulcan, having not heard the crack in his voice. "I'm scared," he admitted, knowing that when McCoy found out, it would not end well. McCoy had already suffered his fair share of pain in the past, and to lose the woman he loved, it was almost too much. He'd hardly noticed the tears he was struggling to fight back. Emily had become more than just a friend to him. She was his sister, and losing her meant more to him than he could have imagined. "How do you choose _not_ to feel it?"

"I do not know," Spock admitted, swallowing hard as he realized that Emily had sacrificed her own life for that of the crew. Seeing the raw emotions in her eyes, the way she had cared for them; it was like she had always been part of this world. "Right now, I am failing."

And he was. When he had first met Emily Hayes, he thought nothing of her. After all, her closeness to the Captain as well as Doctor McCoy had unnerved him. Yet, to hear the passion in her voice as she spoke of the crew, as she had spoken to Spock Prime, made him realize there was so much more to her than he first thought. Spock had finally begun to understand that Liaison Hayes was only human. She would gladly give her life to protect the people she considered family, and that included _him_.

Jim finally looked down at the glass once more, lightly tapping it and pressing his hand against the glass where hers had rested as he realized she wasn't responding. The light in her eyes had faded, the light that had always given him a sense of purpose and hope. The same light that would always put a smile on Bones' face, though he'd never show it around Jim. She was gone.

…

He remembered that night in the cafeteria, when they had talked longer than expected. At the time, he hadn't thought much of the conversation. The light in her eyes when she spoke had always seemed to catch his attention. A look of joy, of life, of happiness.

"Do you have any regrets?" she had asked before they left.

"No, I don't," he admitted after giving it some thought. "Do you?"

She had looked at him thoughtfully at the time, a small spark in her eyes catching his attention before it disappeared.

"No, I don't," she had replied with the faintest smiles.

Leonard swallowed hard as he couldn't even look at the stretcher that was carried into medical. Now, he understood why the poor Ensign who was forced to relay the information to medical had been so reluctant. He couldn't even lift the sheet covering the body, the realization of what had happened finally dawning on him.

He'd never even had the chance to admit it out loud. God, he loved her. She was the only reason he had stayed with Starfleet. And now, she was gone.

"Dammit, Em," he sighed after finally finding the courage to lift the cover.

Her head was lulled to one side, her skin looked paler than ever, the scars more visible. He hadn't realized just how difficult this would be.

It literally felt as if someone had pierced him in the heart with a knife. He shook his head and turned away. Something in the back of his mind told him this was exactly what she would have done. She wouldn't have allowed Kirk to risk his life, or anyone else for that matter. Not when she had felt her life was so insignificant. Losing her was worse than anything his ex-wife could have done to him.

He took a step inside the medbay, trying to gather himself. She was dead. He needed to tend to the body, not allowing anyone else to do this. The other doctors and nurses had offered, knowing how difficult it would be, but he turned them down. She wouldn't have allowed anyone else to do so, and neither would he.

Once again, he swallowed back the vile rising in his throat. It wasn't until he had looked at the tribble back on the table that the knot in his stomach began to untangle itself.

The tribble was _alive_. He could see the mass of fur slowly rising and falling as it breathed. The faint purring and the monitor it was attached to suddenly began reading signs of life. A rush of breath escaped his lungs as he suddenly felt like a doctor again.

"Get me a cryo-tube, now!" he shouted to the nurses, startling them with his call. They stared at him for a moment, confusion written on their faces until they noticed the tribble that had randomly come back to life. "Get this guy out of the cryo-tube, keep him in an induced coma," he ordered once Carol had taken the initiative, eyes wide with shock after having seen the body on the stretcher. "We're gonna put Emily inside. It's our only chance to preserve her brain function."

"How much of Khan's blood is left?" Carol asked once they had done just that.

"None," Leonard sighed in frustration before reaching the com, knowing that Jim and Spock had gone after Khan to take him down once and for all, "Enterprise to Spock. Spock!" he shouted through the com. Dammit, there wasn't any feedback. "Activate the cryogenic sequence," he added to Carol. "McCoy to bridge. I can't reach Spock or the Captain. I need Khan alive! You get that son of a bitch back on-board, right now!" He paused for a moment to let the news sink in, "I think he can save Emily."

…

She was floating through darkness. She felt nothing. No wind against her skin, no cold, pain, nothing. For a moment, she wondered if this was what it felt like to die. Emily hadn't contemplated on death for a long time. She used to wonder what it was like when she was younger, when her grandparents had passed way from numerous medical issues. They were the only ones in her family who had given a shit about her life, and losing them had taken a bigger toll on her than she'd like to admit.

Emily's mind drifted back to what had happened the last few years of her life. Memories of meeting Leonard and Jim for the first time, along with the realization that she had woken up in the world of Star Trek came rushing back. She almost laughed at that, realizing just how foolish the idea was, now. At least she had died for a reason. She knew that the Enterprise crew was safe, and to her, that was the most important task.

"I'm proud of you, Hayes."

Emily found herself blinking at that voice. It sounded oddly familiar, yet so distant that she wasn't even sure she had heard it. She looked on ahead, noticing that two roads began to form in front of her. One led to the right, the other to the left. Her eyes narrowed as she registered that one of those roads led away from the world that she had grown to love. The other led to the unknown, a place that she feared more than anything.

"You have a choice. Whether or not you make the right choice, though, is up to you."

Once again, she was surprised by that voice. Admiral Pike had said that to her when she first woke up in this world. At the time, she hadn't realized how significant those words were. Now, she understood the importance.

 _I've always had a choice_ , she thought, watching as the road to the right had slowly begun to fade away. For so long, she had allowed her parents to make life decisions for her. When she had woken up in this world, it was like a lifeline had been cut off. And she finally realized _why_. This world had given her a taste of freedom. And, she wasn't going to give that up. The moment she had made her choice clear was when the darkness had begun to fade.

She blinked a couple of times as blinding white light surrounded her. The rhythmic beeping of a heart monitor sounded in the background, and, as her eyes slowly adjusted to her surroundings, she realized she was back in a hospital.

"How am I alive?" she groaned, wincing at how hoarse her voice sounded.

"Oh, don't be so melodramatic. You were barely dead." She blinked in surprise upon hearing Leonard's voice, tilting her head slightly to see him sitting beside her, not missing the look of relief in his eyes as he watched her. "It was the transfusion that really took its toll. You were out cold for two weeks," he explained.

She winced; the feeling as if someone had torn her apart and sown her back together came rushing back. Memories of being stuck in the warp core suddenly flickered across her vision. She recalled being tossed around like a rag doll until she was able to crawl through the tunnel. Jim, Scotty and Spock were the last three faces she saw before finally losing consciousness. At the time, she thought for sure that she had died.

"How?" was all she could ask, not really knowing if the truth would make her feel any better. The look in his eyes told her everything she needed to know. "Khan," she sighed.

Leonard nodded at that as he sat up to check the monitor beside her. She wasn't going to admit that she was immeasurably grateful that they had found some way of bringing her back, but… to know that her blood was transfused with Khan's somehow felt wrong. After what those bastards did to her three years ago, she wasn't sure whether or not her blood would react the same way any normal human would. They did something to make her adjust to this world, and she suddenly wondered if that was why she had been able to adjust to the transfusion.

"Once we caught him, I synthesized a serum from his super blood… It took a few weeks for your body to adjust," he explained. "Tell me, are you feeling, uh… homicidal, power-mad, despotic?" She almost smirked at that.

"Well, it's not that time of the month, yet, so, no," she replied, and she would have laughed at the expression that followed if it didn't hurt so damn much. Though she did grimace at the fact that it had taken longer for her to react to the transfusion. Not for the first time, she found herself in awe of the fact that Leonard was able to synthesize the serum in the first place. "How'd you catch him?"

"Both Jim and Spock went after him," Leonard told her after sitting down once again.

"Yeah, that was an epic fight."

Emily couldn't help but smirk at the sound of Jim's voice as he and Spock arrived, having only just heard the last part of their conversation.

"Should've recorded it," she said jokingly, knowing Jim would've gotten a kick out of watching the fight again and again. He only grinned back sheepishly, looking more than relieved that she was alive. "Thank you," she added with a smile.

"Well, I wasn't about to let my sister die on me," Jim retorted, crossing his arms as he studied her warily before glancing at Spock. "Plus, Bones would've never let me live it down."

Leonard only rolled his eyes at that. At that point, he didn't bother denying how much losing her would have effected him. Being able to see him again after receiving a second chance at life meant more than she would ever admit out loud.

"You saved the lives of the entire crew, Emily," Spock added, giving her a nod of approval. "For that, I am immeasurably grateful. Your presence aboard the Enterprise is just as important as everyone else. I am pleased to consider you… a friend."

Emily swallowed at that, having remembered the conversation she'd had with Spock Prime. She had always known that if anyone was going to die because of Khan, it would be her. If she died, she hadn't thought it would affect anyone. She was just beginning to realize how wrong she was. The fact that Spock considered her a friend was touching in itself. Had things gone differently, had she allowed Jim to go through with realigning the housings, she wondered if that would have changed.

"Thank you, both of you," she murmured, meaning what she had said. The Vulcan simply nodded at that once again, and Jim gave her a mock salute before they both left to give them a moment alone. "You're never going to let me live this down, are you?" she added to Leonard once they were gone.

"No, I'm not." She couldn't blame him for that response. He knelt down once again, his eyes meeting hers. Once again, Emily found herself feeling lost within the depths of his eyes. "I thought I'd lost you, Emily." She winced at that, the pain in his voice only making it that much worse. "Do you have any idea what that's like?"

 _I deserve it_ , she reminded herself, knowing that she shouldn't have put him through that. However, what he said next took her by surprise.

"I love you." Emily blinked at that, the tone in his voice telling her that he was being honest, "Dammit, Emily, I love you."

It took a few seconds for what he had said to sink in. She blinked a few times, realizing that he had finally said it out loud. She'd known for months that their relationship was so much more than that. But, to hear him say it out loud only made it all the sweeter. She couldn't hide the smile that followed.

"It only took a near-death experience for you to admit it out loud," she breathed out, her voice barely a whisper. "I love you too, Leonard," she added after catching the look in his eyes.

He let out a sigh of relief, as if expecting the worst possible answer. Seeing that light in her eyes again, and hearing the passion in her voice only made the moment that much better as he reached out and touched her cheek tenderly. The moment she had turned to face him once more was when he kissed her, not caring if anyone else had been watching.

* * *

 **AN: Despite the fact that ' _Wherever I Go_ ' is the title of the story, I feel like ' _Priceless_ ' would be the theme song throughout... mostly because of the meaning behind it. If anyone has never heard the Film Ballad, I highly recommend it. for King and Country have done some amazing music before, but this song is the only one of theirs to make me cry. Also, I'd recommend seeing the movie, too ;) But, bring tissues!**

 **As for how this story ends, I've got one chapter left before I start working on the sequel... which, again, I'm not sure how it will play out. I've never seen the original series, aside from clips here and there, so... it will mostly be based around the Reboot series. I do plan on going into the first few months of the five-year mission, of course, just to build up to Beyond. But, that means updates may be random. And, the chapter-lengths might also be random as well. I'm not making any promises.**

 **Anyhow, special thanks to alylynn12, Howling2themoon and Lover. Fiction. 2016 for reviewing! Feedback is always welcome, and, I'd love to see what readers think of the whole thing, whether this was rushed or not, or had the perfect pace (Seriously, I'd love to know in case I need to do some rewriting...)**


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter Thirty Five**

It had only taken a near-death experience for Leonard to confess that he loved her. She didn't hold anything against him, especially given the circumstances. She'd spent nearly two weeks in the hospital after waking up. Leonard wasn't in any hurry to discharge her just yet – he was worried about what would happen with this transfusion since it had taken her body so long to accept it. Luckily, she wasn't showing signs of the madman that was taken down by Jim and Spock. The only thing she did do was gripe at him for not letting her leave.

She hated not having anything to do other than lay there on the biobed. He knew it, too. She'd given him hell before realizing the reason behind her staying there. The only positive outcome of those two weeks was the fact that the crew had stopped by to visit.

Sulu was the first to stop by after finding out she had woken up. He'd brought his family, introducing his husband as well as his daughter, Demora. The little girl had greeted her enthusiastically, practically wrapping her arms around her in a hug and thanking her, much to Sulu's embarrassment. Emily couldn't hide the blush that followed, even if the two had hit it off right away. She knew that Sulu had been married and adopted Demora a couple of years ago when she was a baby. But meeting the little girl in person was more enlightening than she wanted to admit out loud.

"I never had the chance to properly thank you for saving his life when Vulcan was under attack," his husband, Ben, told her.

Emily merely blinked in surprise at that, especially when she caught the knowing look in Sulu's eyes. She knew it took a lot to gain his respect. After everything they had been through together, the feelings were mutual. She found herself appreciating the fact that they worked together on the ship, and that they had become good friends.

"Something tell me he would've done the same, and it wasn't just me who jumped after him," she said thoughtfully.

Though she knew that Jim wouldn't have hesitated to jump after Sulu, either. Hell, Jim would've probably been the first to do so had he been any closer to the edge. He was the type of person who was willing to sacrifice his own life just to save someone else. Even if they didn't have too many options.

After that, Scotty and Pavel Chekov had stopped by. Scotty had claimed that it wasn't the same without her at the bar, ruffling Leonard a bit when he mentioned he couldn't ask for a better drinking partner. Emily had only laughed at that, especially when she caught the glare Leonard threw the Scotsman. As for Pavel, well, the two of them had just spent a few hours talking. The kid had been mortified when he found out she was the one who realigned the housings. It took a good thirty minutes to assure him she would never do that again, much to Leonard's chagrin.

"Alright, I think that's enough for today," Leonard shook his head when Pavel turned to leave. "Didn't know you were this popular."

"Neither did I," she admitted with a shrug once Pavel was gone. Leonard rose an eyebrow as she sat up, ignoring the fact that she had been leaning back for nearly two weeks. Just being able to walk around would be great. "So, how much longer am I going to be trapped here?"

She caught the knowing look in Leonard's eyes. It wasn't that she hated being in a hospital. Hell, she'd probably been in hospitals more often than she could count due to her father's line of work. She just hated being restricted to what she could do. It was one of the many reasons she'd chosen to become a Liaison. Being able to work in multiple areas where she was needed the most was more than satisfying to her.

"Well, I wasn't going to say anything until they left," Leonard rolled his eyes after his eyes met hers. "You're leaving tonight."

That was enough for her to perk up almost instantly.

"Really?" Leonard almost smirked at her reaction as she shot out of the bed without another word. She wasn't going to give him a chance to change his mind. "It's about damn time!"

He shook his head in amusement at the sight. Oh, she'd given him hell over the last couple of weeks. But, the wait had been worth it. He hated seeing her holed up in some room like that, especially since she had taken on the role as Liaison because sitting still just wasn't her thing.

"Dammit Emily, would ya slow down already?" Leonard griped as he tried keeping up with her.

Clearly, she had enough energy to sprint to the exit before he could even reach her.

"I've been stuck in that hospital for four Goddamn weeks," she snapped, suddenly spinning around to face him. Leonard stopped in his tracks the moment they had reached the lobby, earning more than a few curious looks from coworkers and visitors. "I'm not sticking around any longer than I need to."

She didn't give him a chance to argue as she made her way for the exit. Rolling his eyes, Leonard wasted no time in trailing after her. He was out of breath by the time they had reached the apartment. Emily looked as if she barely broke a sweat.

"How is it you have this much energy?" he grumbled once he'd caught his breath.

She simply regarded him with a look of amusement.

"Years of practice," she explained with a shrug. Not to mention, she'd been stuck in that damn hospital for a good four weeks. "Did you really mean what you said, when I first woke up?" she suddenly asked, catching him by surprise for the umpteenth time.

Leonard's eyes met hers once again. Not for the first time, he felt as if he could just stare at her eyes and get lost within them. Goddammit, she was beautiful.

"Yeah," he nodded without hesitation this time.

He loved her, dammit. After nearly losing her, it had hit him like a ton of bricks. He wasn't going to let that happen again, not if he could do anything to stop it. She smiled and closed the distance between them. Leonard sucked in a breath as her arms wrapped gently around his neck. The warmth of her touch sent electrical shocks of pleasure through him, enough of a reminder that it had been too damn long since they'd had this kind of physical contact.

"I've missed this," she whispered as she kissed him.

"You and me both, darlin'," he admitted as his arms snaked around her waist, pulling her in close. Words couldn't describe the feelings he had for her. He was thankful to have her by his side, to feel the warmth of her presence beside him. "You know, for all that it's worth, I wouldn't mind spending the rest of my life with you," he suddenly added.

His last remark caught her completely by surprise. She simply stared at him for a few seconds before realizing what he was implying. Admitting out loud that he loved her was one thing. But offering a proposal was something entirely different. And it left her heart fluttering with joy and anxiety.

"Me neither," she sighed in agreement. After all the hell they'd been through together over the last four years, she realized that there was no one she would rather be with. "So, what does that mean?" she couldn't help but ask as her eyes met his.

Leonard only shook his head as if trying to figure out the best way to explain the answer, "Hell if I should know. I'm tryin' to figure it out myself."

Emily couldn't hide the smile that followed when he had her pressed against a wall.

"Almost sounded to me like that was a proposal," she whispered, her heart racing so fast that she was sure he could feel it.

"Oh, I don't know about that," he quickly backpedaled, though, it was clear that was exactly what he had meant. "Thoughts crossed my mind more than a few times, but…"

"But, you don't think we're ready for the next step, do you?" she guessed.

She couldn't blame Leonard for not wanting to take the next step into their relationship. Hell, he'd only just confessed his love to her after she'd nearly died. No doubt marriage was the last thing on his mind, let alone hers. It was a huge leap for anyone to take, and a risk. One mistake could change everything, and she wasn't entirely sure if they were ready to take those risks.

"I don't know," he admitted, suddenly looking sheepish as she felt his gaze boring into her. "Are you ready?"

"Leonard, I don't want you pushing yourself into anything that makes you uncomfortable," she replied.

She managed to keep her own voice steady while meeting his piercing gaze once more. Leonard's face softened as he realized she was doing this not only for herself, but for _him_ as well.

"Well, if _I_ were to get married, I'd want to do so with the woman I love, and feel comfortable with," he informed her, and once again, Emily felt the reoccurring feeling of butterflies fluttering in her stomach. "Emily, that woman is you."

Emily felt as if her legs had turned to jello. Luckily, Leonard was there to catch her before she could reel over with shock.

"So, does that mean _you're_ ready?" she asked, hoping her voice didn't sound as shaky as she felt.

"Yeah, it does," he answered honestly before kissing her once more.

She knew what this meant, both for herself as well as him. Leonard wouldn't be making this decision unless he truly felt ready. And, she really did feel ready. Her mind began to spin as she thought of what had led to their ultimate decision to see one another in the first place. Years ago, she never would have found herself in this position. Leonard had changed everything for her, and it was all for the better.

It wasn't until Leonard had pulled something from under his nightstand that the moment of reality came crashing down on her like a wave. A small box. Emily sucked in a breath when Leonard reached her once more.

"I'm not sure when we're gonna get another chance at this, especially with our line of work," he began as he opened the box, revealing a silver band with a small diamond set into it. Simple, yet elegant. "Lord knows how long it took for me to admit I love you out loud." Emily could only grin sheepishly at that notion, knowing how difficult it had been for the words to slip out, "Emily, would you marry me?"

For a moment, Emily was stunned into silence once again before throwing her arms around him. She wouldn't turn the offer down. She loved him, and dammit, she was willing to spend the rest of her life with him.

"Yes, of course I will!" she exclaimed as Leonard let out a breathe he'd been holding.

When they first met at the Academy, nothing could have prepared either of them for what lay ahead. He wasn't sure what had led to that conversation at the mess hall. Or, what had driven him to making the first bold move that would lead them to something neither of them expected. She was worth it. If this was what going through hell the first few years prior to enlisting had led, than she was worth it.

…

The moment everyone found out about Leonard's proposal was priceless. Emily could still remember Jim's reaction most of all. He'd nearly fallen over in the bar stool when they passed on the news. As for everyone else, it was like they'd been expecting it. Hell, there had even been a pool going around for how long it would take for Leonard to finally pop the question. Emily wasn't surprised to find out that Scotty had started the pool after noticing how close they were.

"You know, she's my sister, Bones," Jim had pointed out after the matter.

"Yeah, I know," Leonard rolled his eyes as he guessed where this was headed.

Emily had simply shrugged it off as if that was nothing new. They'd long-since reached a point in their relationship where they treated one another like brother and sister. Emily saw Jim as a younger brother she'd always wanted. And they looked out for one another if things went horribly wrong. It was the kind of relationship she had always wanted with her own sister, though she knew now that would never happen.

"So, if you do anything to hurt her, I will personally hunt you down and make you regret it," he finished, earning looks of surprise from them both. "'Cause there aren't enough people in the world like her."

Jim clasped a hand over her shoulder as if to prove a point, and grinned that goofy grin that Emily was used to. She knew it was a lot to take in. So much had changed in the short time they had between Khan's defeat. But he took it in stride, and the fact that he wasn't treating it like a joke made her wonder if he'd finally matured.

"Jim, I don't think that's something you have to worry about," she reassured him.

She knew full well that she could hold her own against Leonard when it came to her temper. He'd learned that the hard way, on multiple occasions. As someone who'd experienced her fury firsthand, Leonard wasn't in any hurry to encourage that side of her.

After the following months went by, they hadn't exactly made wedding plans or preparations. Emily was mostly worried about how the five-year mission would test the limit of their relationship. Hell, if they were able to put up with each other for the last four years, this would feel like nothing. And yet, she knew that just about anything could happen in this crazy world. So, they decided to see if they could wait it out.

She had also begun to realize that while what Spock Prime had said was true, her presence hadn't really made any significant changes to the world. Jim still had his cocky attitude, but had grown up a little since the attack on Daystrom. Life had moved on for everyone, and they were still the tight-knit family that she loved. She really didn't have any regrets when Pike had asked her to enlist in Starfleet. Her decisions were hers alone to make. And, she had grown because of them. Not just in the aspects of where she would be in life had she not woken up in this world. Something in the back of her mind kept telling her that she wouldn't have gotten this far had that not happened.

Now, everyone was gathered to attend a ceremony for the victims of Khan's attack that had happened a year ago. Emily stood next to Leonard, trying to fight back the overwhelming sense of grief and gratitude. Grief, for losing Admiral Pike, and gratitude, for the crew she considered family that was there to support their Captain as he gave his speech.

"There will always be those who mean to do us harm. To stop them, we risk awakening the same evil within ourselves," Jim began, and Emily swallowed at that as she remembered how desperate he had been for vengeance, and how it had nearly cost the crew their lives, "Our first instinct is to seek revenge when those we love are taken from us. But that's not who we are. We are here today to rechristen the USS Enterprise, and to honor those who lost their lives, nearly one year ago."

"When Christopher Pike first gave me his ship he had me recite the Captain's oath. Words I didn't appreciate at the time. Now I see them as a call for us to remember who we once were, and who we must be again." As he paused, Emily thought back to everything that had happened to them over the last five years. They had gotten through every challenge the world could throw at them together, and something told her that a five-year mission would be nothing compared to what they had already faced. "Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of Starship Enterprise. Her five-year mission, to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilization. To boldly go where no one has gone before."

She couldn't hide the smile that followed as everyone applauded at those words, realizing it was the same quote that people from her world had gotten familiar with. Oh, Leonard had given Jim hell when he brought up the five-year mission. He'd argued for weeks about how ridiculous the idea sounded, and how they'd be stuck in that 'metal death trap' for so damn long. Of course, Jim had just brushed it aside and said the ship would need it's grumpy CMO, and the Liaison who could keep him in his place.

Once the ceremony was finished, and everyone had gotten ready (preparation for this mission had taken months, actually), they arrived on a newly built Enterprise. Scotty had made sure that his insight was put into place in Engineering, something that hadn't surprised Emily after the incident with the warp core.

A shudder ran through her at that less then wonderful memory. She had died. Well, for a brief moment before Leonard had saved her. Yet, she would do it all over again if it meant keeping everyone alive and safe. She tried not to think about it, because she did have nightmares of it every now and then. The nightmares of those creatures that had experimented on her were still ever-present, but they didn't occur as often as they had.

Now, she and Leonard were on the bridge, waiting for Jim to join them as he was always fashionably late. Thoughts of their five-year mission kept rushing back to her as she realized that this was what they had been preparing for. She caught the look in Leonard's eyes and squeezed his hand reassuringly.

"You're acting like this is a punishment," she said thoughtfully.

"Might as well be," Leonard rolled his eyes before pulling her closer.

At this point, neither of them cared if anyone was watching. By now, most of the crew was aware of their relationship. In fact, a few had noticed that there was a spring in Leonard's step since the ship had been fully repaired. It became blindingly obvious that they loved one another, and that meeting someone who actually gave a damn about him was the best thing that could have happened to him.

"Still better than being stuck in a Klingon prison," she pointed out, smirking when she caught the scowl that followed.

"Keptain on the bridge!" Chekov's announcement only made her smirk grow wider.

It had been too long since she heard that announcement. As Jim strode into the bridge, Emily caught sight of Sulu sitting on the Captain's chair before he arrived. Sulu had jumped at the opportunity to sit in the chair when no one else wanted to.

"It's hard to get out of once you've had a taste," Jim smirked as he reached the chair, looking down at Sulu as the man looked at him sheepishly. "Isn't it, Mr. Sulu?"

"Captain does have a nice ring to it," Sulu nodded in agreement, and Emily could have easily detested to what Jim had said. After her last experience in the chair, she wasn't in any hurry to go back. The pressure of being Captain was too much To top it off, she hadn't been prepared for the attack when Admiral Marcus ambushed them, or, when Khan had attacked them. "The chair's all yours, sir."

"Mr. Scott, how's our core?" Jim asked once Sulu had gotten up.

"Purring like a kitten, Captain," came Scotty's response through the com, "She's ready for a long journey."

"Excellent." Jim's smirk grew wider as he walked past Leonard and Emily. "Come on, Bones. It's gonna be fun," he patted Leonard on the shoulder.

"Five years in space, God help me," Leonard grumbled under his breath.

"Think of it like this, five years stuck in space with Emily," Jim winked at him, and didn't miss the fact that she had stuck her tongue out at him as he walked past.

"Well, I guess it wouldn't be _that_ bad," he admitted, smirking as he just caught the child-like response.

"So, you're saying you _don't_ mind being stuck in space with me?" she asked playfully.

"Darlin', I don't think there's anyone I'd rather be stuck with," he laughed in agreement, pulling her into a hug before he kissed her.

Jim only rolled his eyes at that as he wandered over to Carol Marcus, who had asked to officially join the Enterprise crew after her father was murdered.

"Doctor Marcus, uh…" He paused, searching for the right words as Carol looked at him expectantly, "I'm glad you could be part of the family."

"It's nice to have a family," she nodded, referring to the loss of her father. He gave her a nod of encouragement before reaching Spock.

"Spock," he greeted the Vulcan who stood by the Captain's chair.

"Captain," Spock nodded as the two of them looked out of the viewing screen overlooking space.

"Where should we go?"

"As a mission of this duration has never been attempted, I defer to your good judgement, Captain."

"If they're anything like your last decisions, we're all in for an adventure," Emily remarked as she reached her station just as Spock had.

Jim only smirked in agreement at that. Words really couldn't describe how grateful he was to have her on the crew. After all they had been through together over the last five years, it only seemed right that they start this mission together.

"Mr. Sulu," he turned to the helmsman, who was trying to hide the grin of amusement that followed, "take us out."

"Aye, Captain," Sulu nodded, reaching out to send the ship into warp, into a world of endless possibilities.

* * *

 **AN: And, there's the end. Of course, the story in general is far from over, as I plan on writing a sequel. However, the sequel will likely take a little longer to get posted since I've got to work out the plotline before moving into Beyond. I've already got a vague idea of what will happen, but, I just need to get the first couple of chapters finished.**

 **I also wanted to thank everyone who took their time to review and let me know how much they enjoyed this story. I wasn't expecting the positive feedback, since this is my first Star Trek FF. Thank you to Howling2themoon and Love. Fiction. 2016 for reviewing!**

 **Howling2themoon - Thanks, I'm glad you liked it so much ^^ For some reason, I'm better at writing death scenes than anything else Oo Not sure if that's a good thing, or a bad thing...**


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